Georgia looks to slow down Oklahoma’s big-play offense

Oklahoma runs a lot of plays for a lot of yards.

When it comes to the big play, the Sooners have proven to be the best in the nation at hitting it. The statistics are actually staggering as to how well Oklahoma pushes the ball down the field.

The Sooners lead the nation in the number of plays that have gone over distances of 10 (265 plays) 20 (108), 30 (55), 40 (34) and 50 yards (21). Oklahoma also ranks first with four plays totaling over 80 yards.

As a result, the Sooners are arguably the most explosive offense in all of college football. Stopping that sort of attack will be a huge challenge for Georgia.

“We have to limit the big plays,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. “The secondary will have to stay on top of the routes and everyone else has to do their jobs. If we feel we do our jobs and limit those guys then we’ll be in good favor.”

Conversely, Georgia’s defense has proven to be one of the best in the nation by taking away what an opposing team does well. In the SEC Championship against Auburn, the Bulldogs were able to take away the ground game and force quarterback Jarrett Stidham into some poor throws in the second half.

But Oklahoma is a different animal. Two players — receiver Marquise Brown (981 yards, six touchdowns) and tight end Mark Andrews (908 yards, eight touchdowns) — have gone over 900 receiving yards this year.

Running backs Rodney Anderson and Trey Sermon have combined for 1,670 rushing yards in a stable that averages 215.9 on the ground per game. Anderson has run for a gain of 20 yards or more in five games. Sermon has achieved this feat in four games.

And then there’s the Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Baker Mayfield, who makes the offense run so efficiently. This year, Mayfield has completed 71 percent of his passes.

Inside that particular statistic, at least according to the website Pro Football Focus, Mayfield has completed 62.5 percent of his throws over 20 yards.

“What you have to prepare for is the quarterback,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “You know he’s a special player. There are a lot of things he can do to make their team right, even when we’re right. That’s always a challenge. You do the best you can with that and get ready.”

Defensively, Georgia ranks fifth in the nation with only allowing 39 plays to travel 20 yards or more. The Bulldogs also rank in the top 10 in the number of plays that travel over 30 and 40 yards.

One of the most important keys to stopping the Sooners will be to limit the big-play opportunities. Oklahoma has thrived on big gainers all season long.

“It’s going to be a challenge to do that but we feel we have the players and the defense to actually limit those plays,” Smith said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity. We think they have a good offense but we feel we have a good defense as well.”

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Georgia looks to slow down Oklahoma’s big-play offense."