Tougher test is another rout for Georgia: ‘This is not our final form’

ATHENS — The glorified scrimmages were supposed to be over for Georgia.

This wasn’t Tennessee State or Western Kentucky coming to town. The Bulldogs rolled over Arkansas in Fayetteville, but they were facing a higher-caliber SEC opponent at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.

Oklahoma was ranked No. 10 in the preseason. The Sooners had a chance to win late at now-No. 18 Michigan in Week 2 before losing 17-10. They are one of the few teams in the nation with a defense that rivals Georgia’s.

It turned out it was the Sooners who weren’t ready for the step up in competition.

The Bulldogs buried them early and never let them out of the hole. The opponent was better, but the result was another rout for No. 2 Georgia.

The Bulldogs were favored by two touchdowns. They won 41-13 despite a so-so offensive performance.

“This is not our final form,” Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson said. “We’ve got a lot of work to be done, a lot to clean up.”

It’s possible that the Sooners aren’t as good as their preseason ranking. But even if they are merely good rather than great, this was still an impressive performance by Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC).

Bullying the Sooners signals that the Bulldogs are ready for the true contenders on their schedule.

Georgia’s defense was much too good for Oklahoma. The Sooners scored once on 11 full possessions through three quarters while giving the ball away four times, including a fumble that Chris Cole returned 85 yards for a touchdown.

“Coming in, there was word around the town that our defense was just basic and ‘just a defense,’” Cole said. “We took pride in that and this game, we wanted to show that we can prove it on the field.”

I don’t know who was saying that about Georgia’s defense. They should have their eyes checked. This defense looks like the elite units from 2019 to 2023 rather than the relatively lackluster groups of the past two seasons.

Georgia’s offense wasn’t sharp against Oklahoma. Quarterback Gunner Stockton had his first off performance of the year: 171 passing yards on 25 attempts. Georgia committed two turnovers in the second half, including an interception by Stockton that set up OU’s only score before garbage time.

The Bulldogs averaged just 4.3 yards per play through three quarters. Georgia’s four drives in the third period ended with an interception, punt, field goal and fumble.

Maybe Georgia’s offense got too comfortable with the 28-0 halftime lead because it was obvious that Oklahoma couldn’t overcome that deficit.

“Are you complacent?” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Do you look at the scoreboard? If you are going to be that way, it’s probably an alarm bell for upcoming games.

“If you are going to be happy with where you are, then you’re not going to improve.”

So, the Bulldogs were great on only one side of the ball against Oklahoma. They still beat the Sooners by the same margin as they beat Western Kentucky of Conference USA. And that’s with Oklahoma scoring a touchdown in garbage time.

The Sooners fell behind 28-0 because their offense could barely function against Georgia’s swarming defense and the crowd noise at Sanford Stadium. In the first half, Oklahoma had more burned timeouts (two) and delay of game penalties (two) than points (zero).

The Sooners managed to have one good drive before halftime. John Mateer’s 37-yard pass to Isaiah Sategna III moved Oklahoma to Georgia’s 17. OU ended up with a first-and-goal at the 7.

Mateer rolled out to his left on third down from the 2. He had two open targets in the end zone but hesitated to throw. The ball slipped from his hands when he finally tried to pass, and Cole scooped it up and ran 85 yards for the touchdown that put Georgia ahead 21-0.

“That flipped the momentum crazy,” Wilson said.

“To get a 14-point play, that doesn’t happen in football,” Smart said. “They are going in, and we score.”

It was clear by then that Mateer was going to have a long day. He ended up committing three turnovers that Georgia converted into 17 points. The Sooners scored a touchdown in the third quarter after Stockton’s interception created a short field.