Georgia could’ve been in a semi-tight game on Saturday afternoon against unranked Oklahoma.
Instead, after yet another John Mateer blunder, the 2nd-ranked Bulldogs were doing just fine suddenly after an 85-yard scoop-and-score by Chris Cole turned a possible 14-7 game into a 21-0 Georgia lead with about 9 minutes left before halftime. Suddenly, some sliver of hope for the slumping Sooners became a big-time deficit in Athens.
The junior linebacker was in the right place at the right time after Mateer rolled to his left on a 3rd-and-goal from the Georgia 2-yard line and inexplicably lost the ball when it looked like he was trying to find a receiver in the end zone.
It was anyone’s ball, and Cole said thank you very much, picking it up off a nice bounce and taking it easily the other way, 85 yards for a score that likely signaled that Oklahoma was going to lose its 2nd game of the season.
Here is the play that was the ultimate double-whammy for a Sooners team playing its SEC opener:
Georgia added a touchdown right before halftime to make it 28-0, making Oklahoma and Mateer pay for that regrettable play that could’ve turned the Sooners’ fortunes around against the unbeaten Dawgs.
With Georgia off and running in Week 4 against Oklahoma, the Bulldogs have a great chance to get to 4-0 on the season. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Dawgs’ potential win total for the 2026 season:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
