Georgia Football: Hearing from Oklahoma for the Rose Bowl
As Georgia Football Gears up to take on the Sooners at the Rose Bowl, we wanted to get some input on the game from an Oklahoma fan.
We felt it appropriate and highly relevant to take that same opportunity to ask a few questions from the fan’s perspective. So we reached out this week to one of the contributors to the FanSided site devoted to the Sooners, Chip Rouse, who writes for Stormin’ in Norman, to get find out exactly how UGA’s opponents feel this weekend.
Q: How did you feel when you learned you were playing against UGA? Do you think that this Oklahoma team is built to beat an SEC team?
A: Frankly, the Sooners were delighted just to be one of the four teams, irrespective of the opponent. OU probably matches up with Georgia better than the other two teams, which makes that a preferable semifinal game for the Sooners. OU is 0-2 against Clemson in the last two meetings and, surprisingly, 3-0 in its last two games against Alabama. From an offensive standpoint, there is no SEC team comparable to the firepower and balance of this Oklahoma team.
Obviously, the Sooners are not as strong as the top SEC teams on defense, but OU has made several late-season adjustments on the defensive side and the D-unit has played much better over the last four games. It probably should not be overlooked that Oklahoma is 7-3 vs. the SEC in its last 10 interconference games.
Q: So we all know about Baker Mayfield, but who else should Dawg fans know about who could potentially win this game for OU?
A: Redshirt junior Rodney Anderson is the Sooners’ lead running back with just shy of 1,000 net rushing yards on the season. But OU has two other equally talented RBs – Trey Sermon (ironically from Marietta, Ga.) and Abdul Adams – who have had outstanding seasons both running and catching the football, as well. TCU, Texas and Ohio State, three teams with higher-ranked rushing defenses than Georgia, were not successful stopping the Sooner RBs. Oklahoma ran for over 200 yards two different times against TCU, another outstanding defensive team.
Where the Sooners may be most dangerous, however, is in their receiving corps, where they have a bevy of very fast, sure-handed receivers and a quarterback who is the most accurate deep-ball passer in the college game this season. And tight end Mark Andrews won the Mackey Award this season as the best tight end in college football. All of this is made possible by one of the best offensive lines in the nation. Case in point is how the Sooner O-line handled the Ohio State defensive line in Columbus earlier this season.
The Sooners can strike quickly on offense, but they must be mindful not to put added pressure on and wear down their defense, which is likely to be on the field for stretches of time against the Georgia offense
Q: UGA isn’t going to air it out like the Big12, but they will run the ball down OU’s throat. Can this defense stop one of college footballs best-running games?
A: Slowing down, let alone stopping, the three outstanding Georgia running backs is going to be a huge challenge. It is perhaps the biggest of the season, for the Sooners. It will all come down to a matter of wills and physicality. Oklahoma knows it has to contain the running game and get stops on third down to give Mayfield and its high-octane offense as many possessions as possible. Conversely, the Sooners no running the ball and controlling the clock will be a major factor in the Dawgs’ game plan.
I see Georgia’s offense, keyed by the downhill running game, as its best defense against the OU offensive strength. Georgia cannot get into a shootout with the Sooners. Therefore, running the ball, sustaining drives and keeping the Sooner offense on the sidelines is the way the Bulldogs can win this game.
Q: What are three key elements of a successful OU gameplan for Georgia?
A:
1) Contain the Georgia running game and don’t allow them to get 5 and 6 yards on first down.
2) Get stops and off the field on third down.
3) Get the lead early and force Georgia to play catchup. If the Sooners can get out in front by a couple of TDs, it will force Georgia to abandon its grind-it-out, ball control game plan.
4) Win the turnover battle and eliminate silly, unnecessary penalties.
Q: Your prediction of the outcome of the game?
A: I don’t really envision this game to be high-scoring. I would be surprised if the combined score gets into the 70s. I honestly could build a case for either team winning this game. They say the truly great players show up on big stages and in big games. Baker Mayfield thrives in this kind of environment and, in the end, I believe he will be the difference in the game. Oklahoma 34, Georgia 30.
Next: Could Tight Ends decide Rose Bowl?
We’d like to give a big DotD tanks to Chip for taking the time to give us a better understanding of the Sooners. Not so big that we want them to win of course and we certainly hope that he’s wrong about that prediction. We’re probably not going to wish them good luck either, not in this game. All’s fair in love and football though right? Bring on tomorrow and Go Dawgs!