The Georgia Bulldogs are finally getting a formidable opponent in 2026. The Oklahoma Sooners are coming to Athens on Saturday and bringing both their vaunted defense and a struggling offense between the hedges.
Oklahoma’s offense has had a rough go of it so far. Quarterback John Mateer isn’t seeing the field, and the team is averaging a paltry 3.3 yards per carry on the ground.
The Sooners are last in the SEC in yards per game and have scored the second-fewest points in the conference too.
Oklahoma's defense can make up for their struggling offense
Oklahoma’s defense is another story. The Sooners have allowed the second-fewest yards per game in the SEC (only to Georgia) and the fifth-fewest points per game in the FBS at 7.7. Their 3.5 yards per play is fourth-fewest in the FBS as well.
"They get off blocks. They strike you,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “They play with unbelievable pad level, and really an intensity that's unmatched in terms of the way they play. You see it on tape.”
The Sooners have disruptive players at all three levels. Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory are a good cornerback duo, safety Peyton Bowen is a ballhawk and Reggie Powers and Kip Lewis are both strong linebackers.
But the strength of Oklahoma’s defense is their deep defensive line.
David Stone is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the country, and Jayden Jackson is a perfect complement to him at the nose spot.
“I'm really excited for the challenge,” center Drew Bobo said of Stone and Jackson. “I mean, they're both really good players. They play really hard and they're very disruptive on defense in the middle.”
Stone’s status for this game is up in the air due to injury, but the OU defensive line rotation is deep. Taylor Wein, PJ Adepoju, Danny Okoye, Wyatt Gilmore and freshman Jake Kreul give them plenty of options up front.
“To be honest with you, there's not a guy on their defense that comes in, and they rotate guys, that doesn't play with great pad level and great effort,” Smart said. “When you turn on the tape, they run to the ball like they're in elite shape."
Georgia's O-Line needs to improve fast
Georgia’s offensive line may struggle in this one. The Bulldogs allowed five pressures on nine drop backs against Arkansas when the Razorbacks didn’t blitz. Gunner Stockton was sacked three times.
And Arkansas was determined to not get blown out. They lined up in 2-high shells all game in an effort to not get beat deep. Georgia ran it down their throats, but Oklahoma seems more content to load the box.
Georgia will get a more aggressive defense this week.
If there’s a glaring weakness on this Oklahoma defense, it’s the missed tackles. The Sooners have 44 missed tackles this year which is the third worst rate in the FBS. That could lead to some explosive plays for this Georgia offense.
Still, this is easily the biggest challenge yet for a Georgia defense that hasn’t faced much resistance this year. We might be in for a low-scoring game between the hedges, but Georgia's offense has scored the most points in the country this year so maybe they'll prove to be too much even for this strong Oklahoma defense.
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