No. 2 Georgia turned Oklahoma’s trip to Athens into a long afternoon, rolling past the Sooners 41-13 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
OU fell to 2-2 and now heads straight into another brutal test: No. 1 Texas in Dallas.
The Longhorns are 4-0 after beating No. 14 Tennessee 20-17.
John Mateer had the kind of game quarterbacks want to erase from memory. The fifth-year signal-caller completed 74% of his passes, but the ball kept finding the wrong team in the first half.
He fumbled while being sacked on 3rd and goal with 9:14 left in the second quarter, and Georgia linebacker Chris Cole turned that mistake into an 85-yard touchdown return. On the very next drive, Mateer threw an interception that Georgia junior defensive back KJ Bolden brought back 28 yards.
Before halftime, Mateer put the ball on the ground again, with Cole recovering once more, giving Mateer turnovers on three straight drives.
Still, Mateer did connect on one of OU’s few offensive bright spots, hitting sixth year tight end Rocky Beers for a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He also finished the day with 65%-plus completion, but the damage had already piled up.
The Sooners never got traction on the ground, either. They managed only 65 rushing yards on 35 carries, a number that fits the season-long struggle to find any rhythm in the run game.
Six players handled carries, four of them at least three, but OU still hasn’t settled on a clear lead back. Mateer was especially bottled up, finishing with seven rushing yards on 15 carries.
Georgia kept punishing the mistakes. The Bulldogs scored off the 85-yard fumble return, then added touchdowns after Mateer’s second interception and after a Rocky Beers fumble in the third quarter. OU’s defense did force five punts and picked off Gunner Stockton once, with sophomore defensive back Omarion Robinson making the play, but the unit spent too much time dealing with short fields and bad spots.
The first half spiraled quickly for Oklahoma. Georgia opened the scoring with a two-yard run by junior running back Chauncey Bowens after an 11-play, 79-yard drive, then stretched the lead on a 35-yard touchdown from Gunnar Stockton to Talyn Taylor. By halftime, the Bulldogs were up 28-0.
OU did come out of the break with a turnover of its own when Robinson intercepted Stockton to give the Sooners the ball in Georgia territory. But the momentum didn’t last.
Beers later fumbled, and then Tate Sandell pushed a 54-yard field goal wide left after OU recovered another fumble. Georgia kept control at 31-6 when the fourth quarter began.
Oklahoma’s second-half scoring finally arrived when Mateer found Manny Choice for a 14-yard touchdown with 3:23 left. It was the first career touchdown for the sophomore wide receiver, but it only cut into a result that had long since slipped away.
Junior defensive lineman David Stone started for OU after being listed as a gametime decision, and fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis was set to return on the final Southeastern Conference gameday availability report.
OU will now use its bye week before the Red River Rivalry against Texas.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Oklahoma Heads Into Red River With One Alarming Problem
Oklahoma left Sanford Stadium with a result that felt bigger than just a tough night against No. 2 Georgia. The Sooners were overwhelmed 41-13, and the familiar issues from earlier in the season showed up again, with John Mateers early turnovers putting the offense in a hole before he settled in enough to complete more than 65% of his passes and find Rocky Beers for a touchdown.
The problem for Oklahoma is that the encouraging flashes did not offset the bigger picture. The running game never gave the offense much balance, and the defense could not fully cover for the mistakes on the other side of the ball. With a bye week now ahead, the Sooners have a little time to sort it out before facing No. 1 Texas in their next game, and that makes the margin for error feel even smaller. [Read more 🡒]