Steve Curtis - Behind Enemy Lines: Georgia

Steve Curtis | September 24th, 2026

Oklahoma will travel to Athens on Saturday facing a Georgia team that has scored 178 points through three games.

The Bulldogs have demolished Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Arkansas, winning each game by at least four touchdowns.

Those results show how thoroughly Georgia has controlled its opponents. They have yet to show what its offense will look like against a defense as capable as Oklahoma’s.

What the first three games have shown is how Georgia wants to create those points.

Everything begins with the threat of an explosive run.

Nate Frazier has led the way, gaining 202 yards and scoring five touchdowns on just 24 carries. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), 127 of those yards have come after contact.

Frazier does not need a perfect block to change a possession. He has forced 11 missed tackles and gained at least 10 yards on seven of his carries.

Frazier was listed as questionable on Wednesday night’s initial SEC availability report. Georgia will update his status Thursday and Friday before making a final decision for Saturday.

His absence would matter. Chauncey Bowens, Nick Peal and Dwight Phillips Jr. give Georgia other running backs, but none has matched Frazier’s ability to turn an ordinary carry into an explosive play.

Still, Georgia’s rushing success does not belong to one player.

The Bulldogs have gained 226 yards on runs outside the right tackle, their most productive direction. They have also found room behind the left guard, gaining 91 yards on 10 attempts.

Georgia can reach the perimeter without depending on it for every successful run. That forces defenders to account for both the edge and the space left inside it.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton makes the problem more difficult.

Stockton has gained 123 rushing yards on six carries, with much of that production coming when passing plays break down. If Oklahoma’s pass rush loses contain, a covered throw can become an explosive run.

But Stockton has not needed to rely on his legs to keep Georgia moving.

He has completed 38 of 45 passes for 583 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions. PFF has not credited him with a turnover-worthy play through three games.

The way he has handled pressure is particularly striking.

When opponents have blitzed, Stockton has completed 18 of 20 passes for 359 yards and six touchdowns. Sending an extra defender has often given him more space to attack, not less time to throw.

Georgia’s running game helps create that space.

Stockton has thrown for 299 yards and five touchdowns off play action. Defenders who step toward the line of scrimmage leave openings behind them, and Stockton has consistently found those openings.

He has not depended on one receiver to do it.

Craig Dandridge leads Georgia with 166 receiving yards on seven catches. Sacovie White-Helton has caught all eight of his targets for 131 yards, while tight ends Lawson Luckie and Elyiss Williams give Stockton additional options over the middle.

Wide receiver Isiah Canion was listed as questionable Wednesday. He has caught three passes for 28 yards, so his status does not carry the same weight as Frazier’s. Georgia’s passing production has already been spread across the rest of the group.

The offensive line has made that distribution possible.

Georgia’s pass blockers have allowed 13 pressures and three sacks through three games. Jahzare Jackson has not allowed a pressure across 39 pass-blocking snaps, while Earnest Greene III has allowed one on 42.

The group has not been flawless. Juan Gaston has been charged with two sacks allowed, and center Drew Bobo and right tackle Ekene Ogboko have each surrendered two pressures.

Offensive lineman Marcus Harrison was listed as out Wednesday. He has played primarily at left guard, but Dontrell Glover has handled most of the work there. Harrison’s absence leaves Georgia with less depth without necessarily changing the group Oklahoma sees first.

Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Arkansas have not tested that protection the way Oklahoma’s defensive front can.

While Georgia’s offense has created space, its defense has been effective at taking it away.

The Bulldogs have allowed opponents to complete 62 passes through three games, but those completions have produced 497 yards. Georgia has generally kept receivers in front of it and finished tackles before short gains become larger ones.

That starts near the line of scrimmage.

Linebackers Chris Cole and Justin Williams have been two of Georgia’s best run defenders. Defensive tackle JJ Hanne has added six stops against the run, giving the Bulldogs strength inside even when a runner gets through the first block.

Georgia has missed only 12 tackles as a team. For an Oklahoma offense still searching for a dependable running game, getting a back past the line of scrimmage may only be the first part of the challenge.

The Bulldogs can also create pressure without asking the same defender to win every snap.

They have generated 48 pressures and eight sacks. Edge rusher Gabe Harris Jr. has contributed four pressures, while Cole, Williams and Elijah Littlejohn have all produced sacks from linebacker.

That variety gives Georgia ways to attack an Oklahoma offense that has struggled when John Mateer faces obvious passing situations.

The defense has not been equally disruptive every week. PFF gave Georgia’s pass rush a 56.9 grade against Arkansas, its lowest of the season, despite the Bulldogs’ comfortable victory. Oklahoma will need to find out whether it can protect Mateer well enough to take advantage.

Georgia safety Tyriq Green was listed as out Wednesday. He has played 68 defensive snaps, leaving the Bulldogs one fewer option in the secondary. His absence does not erase what Georgia has shown defensively, but it adds another position to watch as the game approaches.

Taken together, Georgia’s first three games have revealed a team that makes defenses choose what they are willing to leave open.

Commit too many players to the run, and Stockton has shown he can punish the space behind them. Sit back to protect against his receivers, and Frazier has shown what he can do when he reaches an opening. Even if Frazier cannot play, Georgia has enough depth and enough balance to remain dangerous.

The Bulldogs’ defense presents the other half of that problem. It tackles well, limits damage after completions and brings pressure from several positions.

Frazier’s status could change the way Georgia attacks Oklahoma. It will not change how much the Sooners must solve to leave Athens with a win.