No. 2 Georgia football beat 24th-ranked Oklahoma 41-13 on Saturday, Sept. 26 in a game that said as much of the Bulldogs' dominance as it did the Sooners' offensive ineptitude.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said as much himself.
Speaking to reporters in his postgame news conference, the 11th-year coach remarked how his players lived up to his team's adage of "'Dawgs don't beat the 'Dawgs" – meaning Georgia didn't make it more difficult to win the game with costly mistakes, penalties and turnovers.
He could not say the same for Brent Venables and Co.
"We like to have the saying, 'Dawgs don't beat the Dawgs,'"
Smart said. "The Dawgs didn't beat the Dawgs today. But the Sooners, in a lot of ways, beat the Sooners. They gifted us multiple turnovers that could have been touchdowns, and the game would have been different."
Kirby Smart on Georgia's 41-13 win over Oklahoma:
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 27, 2026
"We like to have the saying 'Dawgs don't beat the Dawgs'. The Dawgs didn't beat the Dawgs today. But the Sooners, in a lot of ways, beat the Sooners." pic.twitter.com/4Qk7c7Wed8
The most notable of those "gifts" was an unforced John Mateer fumble at the Georgia goal line. Had Mateer maintained control and scored, it would have cut into Georgia's lead and made it a manageable 14-7 deficit. Instead, linebacker Chris Cole returned the fumble 85 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0, putting the game beyond Oklahoma's ability to put up points.
Following that fumble, Mateer committed two more turnovers to end the half: an interception by KJ Bolden that eventually resulted in a Georgia punt, and another fumble, also recovered by Cole, that put the Bulldogs at the Oklahoma 11-yard line and resulted in another easy score.
Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers lost another fumble in the second half that resulted in a Georgia field goal, but the game was essentially over by that point, with the Bulldogs tacking on a field goal to make it 31-6 midway through the third quarter.
It has been tough sledding for Mateer through the first four games of the Sooners' 2026 college football schedule. He has completed just 72 of 109 passes (66.1%) for 883 yards and eight touchdowns to four interceptions and has struggled even against perceived lesser competition, such as New Mexico.
It remains unclear what Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle intend for Mateer moving forward. For now, at least, the Sooners seem like they will ride with Mateer as they get ready to face No. 1 Texas on Oct. 10 following a bye week in Norman.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirby Smart has damning review of Oklahoma after Georgia win: 'Sooners beat the Sooners'
