The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs faced their first "test" against the formerly No. 24 Oklahoma Sooners. They passed with flying colors, as they demolished the Sooners 41-13. The Bulldogs had a 28-0 lead before Oklahoma found the end zone, and they had a 41-6 lead before the last touchdown from Oklahoma.
The defense gained three fumbles and an interception, and Georgia scored 17 points off those three fumbles. One was a fumble by John Mateer recovered by Chris Cole and returned for a touchdown. Another fumble by Mateer picked up by Cole resulted in a short-field touchdown, and a fumble by Rocky Beers gave Georgia a short field to kick a field goal.
As a result, Georgia won by 28 despite the Bulldogs picking up just 309 yards and going just 3 for 12 on third
down. Georgia improved to 4-0 and looks like arguably the best team in the SEC, while Oklahoma declined to 2-2 and could be pushed out of CFP contention.
Linebackers were not friendly with John Mateer
Is it possible to win the Butkus Award on just one game? Chris Cole definitely made the case. He had a legacy game that some of Georgia's best linebackers haven't had. He earned eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack. However, he recovered two fumbles, including one for a touchdown.
The Chris Cole touchdown was the turning point of the game in my opinion, with Georgia going up 21-0, but Raylen Wilson had better production. Wilson earned 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack as well. The sack he had on Mateer forced a fumble, which was recovered by Cole.
Linebackers are the heart of the defense, and that was certainly the case for Georgia against Oklahoma.
Dwight Phillips to the rescue
Nate Frazier was a shocking scratch for the Georgia Bulldogs. His absence could've diminished the Bulldogs rushing attack, making it very hard to generate offensive momentum against Oklahoma.
Well, the Bulldogs were able to get through his injury in two ways. One, the defense was lights out, and two, Dwight Phillips was a rockstar. Phillips ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and his 54-yard touchdown run helped ice the game in the fourth quarter.
Chauncey Bowens deserves some props too, as his usage in goal-line situations has worked out incredibly for Georgia. He had another two touchdowns for Georgia, and overall, he's earned five touchdowns, which is one short of what he earned all of last season.
Talyn Taylor WR1 Arc
Speaking of players emerging on offense, Talyn Taylor has really come into his own these past couple of games. The sophomore wide receiver has always flashed the talent, but last season he dealt with concentration drops and mental roadblocks.
This season, the opportunity has been wide open for him to emerge as Georgia's No. 1 receiving option, and he's done just that. In this game, he had 110 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. He's caught a touchdown in every game he's caught a pass this season, and his route-running has taken a major step forward. He leads the team in receiving touchdowns, and he's just two short of Craig Dandridge (171) for leading Georgia in receiving yards (169), too.
Next, the Bulldogs will play the 3-1 Vanderbilt Commodores at home. The game will be on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 12:45 p.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Takeaways from Georgia's 41-13 win over Oklahoma
