Three Players Who Need a Big Performance for Oklahoma to Upset No. 2 Georgia

SEC play may have come at the wrong time for Oklahoma.

Ben Arbuckle’s followed a disappointing Michigan performance up with another terrible showing against New Mexico — a reality that could put the entire season at risk.

And things only get harder from here.

The now unranked Sooners (2-1) travel to No. 2 Georgia (3-0) for the program’s first-ever trip to Athens on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Quarterback John Mateer needs an efficient showing, but he won’t be able to drag the offense forward by himself.

Here are three Sooners who need to perform on Saturday for OU to pull a massive upset:

RT E’Marion Harris

E’Marion Harris and Eddy Pierre-Louis have been disappointing through three weeks.

And while OU can search for another answer at guard — the Sooners can pair Heath Ozaeta with Noah Best on either side of center Jake Maikkula — the injury to Michael Fasusi leaves Oklahoma stuck with Harris.

He’s been a liability in each of the past two weeks, but with Ryan Fodje filling in at left tackle, the only path for improvement comes from Harris stepping his game up.

Oklahoma has struggled to run off the right side and pass protect, a spot on the line that Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs will assuredly test early and often on Saturday afternoon.

TE Rocky Beers

Oklahoma Sooners, Rocky Beers — Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers tries to evade two New Mexico defenders. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Michigan’s defensive game plan was simple but effective.

The Wolverines paid plenty of attention to receiver Isaiah Sategna and dared anyone else on Oklahoma’s offense to win the game.

Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers proved he could be a weapon, but Mateer was too inconsistent to build any real rhythm.

If Mateer can lock in early, Beers needs to enjoy a productive first half.

It’s unclear if OU will be able to run the ball — the Sooners enter the week ranked 123rd in rushing offense while Georgia ranks third in rushing defense — but Beers can still stress the UGA linebackers by producing a couple of chunk plays early.

Explosive plays might be the Sooners’ best hope of moving the ball, as they’ve not shown signs of being able to sustain drives, and success with Beers early could make Sategna’s job easier as he works to get behind the Bulldog defense.

DT Jayden Jackson

Oklahoma Sooners, Jayden Jackson — Oklahoma defensive lineman Jayden Jackson pursues UTEP's EJ Colson. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

If Oklahoma comes up short on Saturday, the fault isn’t likely to fall at the feet of the defense.

Brent Venables’ side of the football has held things together so far, but they’ll likely need a magical performance to notch another memorable road victory.

Georgia’s offense has barely had to shift out of second gear this year, so putting the Bulldogs behind the chains could put some pressure on Gunner Stockton.

With David Stone’s status still up in the air — the star defensive tackle was listed as “questionable” on Wednesday and Thursday’s SEC availability report — Jayden Jackson will need to anchor the run defense.

Georgia star running back Nate Frazier also listed as questionable, the Bulldogs may not be at full strength on the ground.

Forcing the ball into Stockton’s hands isn’t a guaranteed path to victory. He’s completed 84.4% of his passes this year and has thrown nine touchdowns to zero interceptions.

But giving the OU secondary a chance to make plays is much more palatable than allowing Georgia to dictate the clock and field position if the Bulldog running game gets going early.

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