3 Things to Watch: OU vs. Georgia
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Who can make plays for OU’s struggling offense?
It’s no secret the Sooners have struggled offensively the past two games, so much so that there is a hot seat developing under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
The past two games, the Sooners have scored 24 combined points against Michigan and New Mexico. The offense has looked discombobulated and out of sync for almost every play, signaling miscommunication across the board for the Sooners.
There is no identity for OU’s offense and about every facet of it has been in shambles. The Sooners need to determine what they will do a lot of and stick to it, that could be throwing the ball a lot more and running with quarterback John Mateer.
Who will make plays — aside from playmaking wideout Isaiah Sategna III — for the Sooners? Could it be Elijah Thomas? Parker Livingstone? Jonathan Hatton Jr.?
For OU to have a chance Saturday, it will need one, or a few, of younger players to finally have a breakout game or make a few game changing plays. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 2 in the country, are ready to attack an offense that’s struggled.
How will Georgia attack OU’s defense?
The Bulldogs have one of the most efficient offenses in the SEC led by quarterback Gunner Stockton, but a top-ranked defense rolls into Athens to put on a show.
Despite the negativity swirling around the Sooners and their offense, the defense has been one of the best units in the country. The Sooners have allowed just two touchdowns, really only one because of Mateer’s interception that got Michigan to start in the red zone.
OU’s allowed just 23 points and have held teams to the 18th-fewest yards through three games.
The Sooners specifically are elite in passing defense, allowing just 98.5 passing yards per game which is third-fewest in the country.
That will match up with Georgia’s passing game that is 18th in the country with 328 passing yards per game. This will be the first test for the Bulldogs this season after playing three stinker games to start 2026.
The Sooners’ defense has played stiffer competition so far, but nothing like what the Bulldogs will have Saturday in Athens.
Can Sooners channel 2025 road success?
OU made an improbable run through its road games last season on the Sooners’ way to the College Football Playoff. The Sooners went into Tennessee and Alabama to knock off ranked opponents on the road in two of the best environments in college football.
The Sooners, though, already have a road loss this season with an L at Michigan in the Big House. With the Sooners now playing between the hedges this weekend, they will need to call upon their experiences last season to overcome a daunting road crowd in Athens.
The Bulldogs have lost three home games since 2017 — the last time they played the Sooners in the classic Rose Bowl semifinal.
It’s a tough task to ask any team to go into Sanford Stadium and attempt an upset of the Bulldogs, but the Sooners have proven, at least last season, that they are capable of pulling off improbable upsets. The Sooners’ defense can keep them in the game, but it will be up to the OU offense if the Sooners can pull off an upset or not Saturday.
Davis Cordova, Transcript Sports Editor
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