No. 2 Georgia prepares for Oklahoma’s defense and John Mateer

ATHENS — The last time Georgia and Oklahoma shared a football field, the Bulldogs left with a Rose Bowl trophy and a ticket to the national championship game.

Kirby Smart needed only six words Monday to describe what Georgia’s 54-48 double-overtime victory accomplished.

“It got us the National Championship.”

Nearly nine years later, the programs finally meet again.

No. 2 Georgia (3-0) will welcome Oklahoma (2-1) to Sanford Stadium for the first time Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

The Bulldogs have overwhelmed their first three opponents, including Saturday’s 45-17 victory at Arkansas. Oklahoma’s start has been less convincing. The Sooners opened the season ranked No. 10 but fell out of the AP poll following a 17-10 loss at Michigan and a narrow 14-6 victory over New Mexico.

Smart sees something more dangerous than Oklahoma’s ranking suggests.

“They have a really good football team, and it’s a great matchup,” Smart said. “It seems like the conference is going to be full of them all year.”

Saturday’s game bears little resemblance to the offensive fireworks show in Pasadena, California, where Baker Mayfield led Oklahoma against a Georgia team powered by Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

“That was a long time ago,” Smart said. “The staffs were almost entirely different, even ours for the most part has changed. It was that kind of game because of what it meant and what it led to, and where it was played.”

This time, Oklahoma’s defense may present the greatest challenge.

Georgia enters averaging 59.3 points and 539 yards per game. The Sooners are allowing only 7.7 points and 215.3 yards. They held New Mexico to 185 yards while collecting six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

That defense reflects Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, whom Smart considers one of college football’s premier defensive minds.

“It is fundamentally sound, aggressive and attacking,” Smart said. “They play with unbelievable pad level and an intensity that’s kind of unmatched.”

Smart repeatedly used one description for the Sooners: hard to block.

“They might get blocked; they don’t stay blocked,” he said.

That places considerable responsibility on Georgia’s offensive line. The Bulldogs scored 45 points at Arkansas but surrendered two sacks, something fifth-year lineman Drew Bobo said must be corrected before facing defensive tackles David Stone, Jayden Jackson and the rest of Oklahoma’s disruptive front.

“They’re both really good players,” Bobo said of Stone and Jackson. “They play really hard, and they’re very disruptive on defense in the middle. It’s going to be a really good challenge.”

Bobo was more direct about Georgia’s pass protection at Arkansas.

“It’s not our standard and not what we want to do,” he said.

Georgia’s defense faces a different problem in Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, who has thrown for 658 yards and six touchdowns. He passed for 238 yards and two scores against New Mexico, including a 53-yard touchdown to explosive receiver Isaiah Sategna III.

“He pops out at you,” Smart said. “He’s hard to tackle. He breaks a lot of tackles, and he’s tough. He scrambles to throw, and he’s made explosives with his legs.”

Georgia linebacker Justin Williams said Mateer’s ability to create plays will test every level of the defense.

“He can make plays with his legs and his arms,” Williams said. “That brings a challenge to us for sure.”

Saturday begins another chapter in Georgia’s SEC grind, but it also brings a little history to Athens. The Bulldogs are promoting the game as “Stripe Sanford,” and Williams expects the crowd to become part of Georgia’s defense.

“You hear the crowd going, and there’s nothing like it,” Williams said. “You’ve got to be there to experience it.”

Oklahoma will experience it Saturday—for the first time in Sanford Stadium and the first time anywhere since that unforgettable night at the Rose Bowl.