5 things to know about Georgia before facing Oklahoma

Here are five things to know about the Bulldogs’ season thus far:

1. Rushing attack: Any discussion of the 2017 Bulldogs has to begin and end with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

The seniors went against conventional wisdom, ignored the “running backs have a short shelf life” mantra and passed on the pros to win at UGA. They’ve achieved that, though to what degree is yet to be determined.

Chubb has 1,175 rushing yards and 13 scores, while Michel sits at 948 yards and 13 touchdowns. Plus, freshman D’Andre Swift has put up 597 yards with three touchdowns as a third-stringer.

That is simply mind-blowing production from one stable of backs. Georgia’s 5.8 yards per carry ranks 10th in the country, which actually feels low. Its 263.5 rushing yards per game also is good for 10th.

Chubb has contributed the most consistent yardage, with Michel chiming in with explosive plays. Other than Chubb’s 20 carries against South Carolina, neither back required more than 16 carries in a game, lessening their wear and perhaps helping their appeal to NFL teams.

Swift has been dynamic despite limited time, contributing plenty of home runs himself, including a 64-yard score against Auburn in the SEC Championship game.

2. Smart defense: Kirby Smart coached some of the top defenses in the nation at Alabama, learning how to out-physical opponents and best use units loaded with NFL prospects. In Year 2, he's done the same at Georgia.

Georgia possesses arguably the best collection of defensive talent in the country, led by Butkus award-winner Roquan Smith. Smith, a projected first-round draft pick if he leaves early, has 113 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

He’s said to run a 4.4 40-yard dash, which is believable if you’ve ever watched Smith live.

Linebacker Lorenzo Carter has finally blossomed into what UGA expected when it landed the highly rated recruit from Norcross. Aaron Davis and Dominick Sanders remain staples in the secondary, while Trent Thompson and John Atkins beef up a powerful defensive line.

That ensemble limited opponents to 13.2 points per game and just 4.47 yards per play. Georgia is No. 2 in the nation at halting passing offenses (158.3 yards per game), which is a relevant number against Oklahoma’s spread offense that puts up 362.4 passing yards a game, third best in FBS.

Counterpoint: The SEC East was weak, especially at quarterback. The Bulldogs topped Notre Dame on the road, 20-19; a win that isn’t as pretty when you look at Notre Dame’s results against Stanford and Miami.

Georgia also was annihilated by Auburn in the first meeting, with the defense looking nothing like its usual self. The team did bounce back with an avenging performance in the SEC Championship game, however.

3. Fromm the phenomenon: Regardless of what happens the rest of Jake Fromm's life, he'll never have to buy a drink in Athens.

The freshman from Warner Robins stepped into action in the season opener against Appalachian State after Jacob Eason was injured, and he made sure Eason wouldn’t take the job back.

In 13 games, Fromm completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,173 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. His first start was a win in South Bend against the Fighting Irish, and his most recent start was a championship win that made up for his lone blemish at Auburn.

He was the second UGA freshman to start his first game on the road, joining Eric Zeier in 1991.

Fromm faces an Oklahoma defense ranked 87th in stopping the pass. The Bulldogs will ride their running backs, as always, but the success of the ground game could open up ample opportunity for Fromm to hold serve with Mayfield.

4. Red-zone production: Good teams score when in the end zone. Georgia has done just that when given the opportunity.

Georgia scored 48 out of 50 times in the red zone, the fourth best efficiency in FBS. One of those misses came on a meaningless drive at the end of the SEC Championship game. They scored a touchdown 70 percent of the time.

Much of that credit goes to the running backs, but offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has pressed all the right buttons when it matters. Big receiver Javon Wims has been a help, using his 6-foot-4 frame to haul in three red-zone touchdowns. Mecole Hardman’s speed also comes in handy and resulted in three red-zone scores.

Continuing that trend will be paramount against a poor Sooners defense. If Mayfield does figure out how to slice through the defense, the offense will have to do more than settling for field goals to win.

5. Consistent dominance: This is the third time a UGA team has won 12 games. The 1980 edition won the national championship, while the 2002 Bulldogs were Sugar Bowl champions.

Georgia stomped the struggling SEC East by a score of 247-72. The senior class is now 40-12 in their careers and helped the school to its first SEC title since 2005.

One underrated reason for their success? Continuity. Georgia’s offense probably wouldn’t be as efficient if it had a revolving offensive line. Instead, what entered the season as an assumed weakness became a strength.

Left tackle Isaiah Wynn, center Lamont Gaillard and right tackle Andrew Thomas have made every start. Kendall Baker has made 12 consecutive starts. Life’s a lot easier for running backs and the freshman signal-caller when they know what’s in front of them.

The team had been so remarkably consistent, perhaps the 40-17 loss to Auburn on Nov. 11 was a good thing. It experienced adversity and learned how to bounce back, as Smart worded it. As the rest of the College Football Playoff field indicates, that lone loss may not be the most damning thing.