No. 2 Georgia put Oklahoma through a rough afternoon in Athens, and the Sooners never found a way out of it.
OU fell 41-13 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, a loss that sent the Sooners to 2-2 and set up an even steeper climb next week against No. 1 Texas in Dallas.
The Longhorns will come in off a 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee.
The game tilted hard in Georgia’s favor early, and Oklahoma’s offense kept feeding the Bulldogs chances to make it worse. Fifth-year quarterback John Mateer finished with over 65% completion, but the box score only tells part of the story.
His first half was a disaster. He fumbled while being sacked on third-and-goal with 9:14 left in the second quarter, and Georgia linebacker Chris Cole raced 85 yards the other way for a touchdown.
On the next drive, Mateer threw an interception that junior defensive back KJ Bolden returned 28 yards. Before halftime arrived, Mateer put the ball on the ground again, and Cole recovered it a second time.
That gave Mateer turnovers on three straight drives.
Even with the chaos around him, Mateer did connect on a few plays. He completed 74% of his passes against Georgia and found sixth-year tight end Rocky Beers for a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Later, sophomore wide receiver Manny Choice caught a 14-yard touchdown from Mateer with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter for the first score of his career.
But Oklahoma’s ground game never gave the offense any balance. The Sooners managed just 65 rushing yards on 35 carries, with six different players getting a handoff and four of them logging at least three carries.
Mateer led the team in attempts on the ground and finished with seven rushing yards on 15 carries, a 0.5-yard average. OU entered the game ranked No. 97 nationally in rushing yards per game, and Saturday did nothing to change that picture.
Georgia kept cashing in on the mistakes. The Bulldogs scored on the drive after Mateer’s second interception and added a field goal after Beers’ fumble in the third quarter.
Earlier, Georgia had opened the game with an 11-play, 79-yard march finished by a two-yard touchdown from junior running back Chauncey Bowens. The lead grew when Gunnar Stockton hit Talyn Taylor for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
By halftime, Georgia was in control at 28-0 after Mateer’s late fumble gave the Bulldogs another short field.
Oklahoma’s defense did have some moments. The Sooners forced five punts and sophomore defensive back Omarion Robinson intercepted Stockton in the third quarter to give OU a chance to work with better field position. Junior defensive lineman David Stone started the game after being listed as a gametime decision, and fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis was set to return in the final Southeastern Conference availability report before kickoff.
Still, the defense spent too much time trying to clean up messes created by the offense. Georgia kept punishing the extra possessions, and Oklahoma could never string together enough clean football to matter.
There was a brief flicker in the third quarter when Courtland Guillory punched the ball loose from Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens, giving OU the ball at the Bulldogs’ 37-yard line. But three plays later, Tate Sandell pushed a 54-yard field goal left, and the chance vanished. Georgia still led 31-6 as the fourth quarter began.
The Sooners had already seen momentum disappear once in the third quarter when Beers fumbled into the hands of a Georgia defender after it looked like OU might be building something. By then, the game had long since slipped away.
When the clock hit 0:00, Oklahoma was left with a 41-13 loss and a long reset ahead during the bye week before the Red River Rivalry.
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Oklahoma Suddenly Has A QB Problem Brent Venables Can't Ignore
Oklahomas trip to No. 2 Georgia turned into a blunt reminder that the Sooners have bigger offensive issues than one bad afternoon. Dillon Mateers costly mistakes were a major part of the 41-13 loss, and they came at a time when the rest of the offense was not built to help cover them up. The running game still has not taken a meaningful step forward from last season, which has left the passing attack carrying too much of the load.
Brent Venables has already acknowledged that a quarterback change is something the staff is weighing, but there is no decision yet. With No. 1 Texas up next, the timing only sharpens the pressure on Oklahoma to find some stability before the rivalry game arrives. For a team trying to keep its season from slipping, the question under center is suddenly unavoidable. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners First Half Meltdown Has Fans Fuming Over One Costly Trend
Oklahomas first half against Georgia quickly turned into a frustration-filled stretch, with John Mateer putting the ball on the ground and giving the Bulldogs extra chances to pull away. Georgia capitalized in a big way, turning one takeaway into an 85-yard fumble return by Chris Cole and later adding a 35-yard touchdown pass from Gunnar Stockton to Talyn Taylor as the Sooners struggled to steady themselves on either side of the ball.
There was at least one notable pregame development for Oklahoma, with junior defensive lineman David Stone taking the field after being listed as a gametime decision. Even so, the Sooners were left trying to dig out of a hole created by turnovers and a first-half surge from Georgia, a familiar kind of problem that had fans voicing their anger as the game got away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Georgia Meltdown Exposed One Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Against No. 2 Georgia, Oklahomas offense never found a rhythm, and the 41-13 loss laid bare how quickly things can unravel when the ball security goes south. Multiple turnovers piled up, the running game never offered much help, and the Sooners spent most of the afternoon trying to dig out from an offensive slump that only got deeper as the game went on.
Pro Football Focus grades matched the eye test, with the offensive line and running backs drawing the harshest marks in a performance that left too many problems exposed at once. There was one encouraging note on defense, where linebacker Kip Lewis returned from absence and played well, while Owen Heineckes early exit added another layer of concern in a game Oklahoma could ill afford to see its injury situation worsen. [Read more 🡒]