It’s been a rough go of it for the Oklahoma Sooners offense lately. Oklahoma put up a poor offensive performance in a loss to Michigan two weeks and then struggled to a 14-6 win over New Mexico the following week, and now they’ve got to go into Sanford Stadium to play the Georgia Bulldogs.
Quarterback John Mateer isn’t seeing the field right now. He made an admission that’s already become infamous when he credited crowd noise for helping him spot an open receiver for a touchdown against New Mexico last week.
The Sooners also can’t run the ball. They rank 97th in the FBS in rushing, and 128th in yards per carry with 3.3. Those respective numbers are both second-worst in the SEC ahead of only Arkansas. Injuries to the offensive line have only compounded those struggles.
Fans are already calling for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s job at games. It hasn’t been a pretty sight. When asked after the New Mexico game if Oklahoma had anything it could “hang its hat on” offensively, head coach Brent Venables issued a blunt “Not really, no.”
“I don't want to be the offensive coordinator,” Venables said this week. “I want the offensive staff to come up with a great gameplan and to have great balance, to be physical, take care of the ball, run the football, create explosive plays… attack people's weaknesses, all of those types of things. I want them to play with more confidence and more continuity and a better rhythm.”
Oklahoma's offense has the firepower to be much better
Senior receiver Isaiah Satenga is one of the most explosive wideouts in the SEC. His speed and ability after the catch creates big plays that can totally bail this offense out, he was the player Mateer had to use crowd noise to find open against New Mexico.
“He can accelerate from point A to point B really fast,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Satenga. “He’s a great returner. He’s got great hands. They find schemes, find ways to get him touches. He has to touch the ball to be explosive, and they’ve done a good job with that. You look at the history at what he’s been able to do in the return game and being able to touch the ball. He is a very good playmaker.”
Tight end Rocky Beers has also been a revelation this season. He’s been Mateer’s best friend in the quick game and makes things happen with the ball in his hands. Mateer is going to get the ball out quickly in this game, and so Georgia would be wise to key in on the standout tight end.
Though Mateer has had a difficult season, the Bulldogs are taking him more than seriously.
“They have a great quarterback,” linebacker Justin Williams said. “[Mateer] is really good. He's a dual threat quarterback. He can make plays with his legs and with his arms. So that brings a challenge to us for sure.”
Mateer is a strong runner. He’s only rushed for 69 yards this year, but the five sacks he’s taken have eaten into that total.
His scrambles are probably Oklahoma’s best hope of developing a ground game in this one, and the Sooners will probably scheme up some designed runs for him as well.
“He’s hard to tackle, he breaks a lot of tackles,” Smart said. “He’s tough. You talk about the run game. He runs inside. He runs outside. He runs to pass. He scrambles to throw. He’s made explosives with his legs.”
Oklahoma is getting a tough draw with this Georgia defense that’s looked lights-out to begin the season. The Bulldogs are allowing the fewest yards per game in the SEC.
Oklahoma's defense can keep them in the game against Georgia
The Sooners’ defense is right there with them with the second-fewest yards allowed in the conference.
They’ve got a disruptive defensive line with David Stone and Jayden Jackson, sticky cornerbacks with Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory, versatile linebackers in Reggie Powers III and Owen Heinecke and ball-hawking safety Peyton Bowen.
“Sometimes you don't know what they're doing,” Smart said. “There's not a lot of predictability. You know, you're looking for pictures. As an offensive coach, you want to be like, "Okay, if I do this, I know they're going to do this." There's nothing, you know, they're going to do.
The Bulldogs’ pass protection didn’t look great against Arkansas last week and allowed three sacks. This receiver group has flashed but is going up against its first test of the year. Running back Nate Frazier might be banged up in this one.
This showdown is profiling as a low-scoring game. Whichever offense takes care of the ball has the advantage Saturday, but Georgia is favored by nearly two touchdowns so this is a game they are expected to win.
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