Oklahoma Dominates Georgia As They Continue To March Towards History
Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: December 31st, 2031
The Oklahoma Sooners wasted little time reminding the Georgia Bulldogs why they are the reigning back-to-back National Champions, jumping all over the Bulldogs behind a 24-7 first quarter en route to a 55-24 drubbing of Georgia that is likely to earn some strongly worded letters from PETA.
Markelle Nickey marched the Oklahoma Sooners right down the field to start the game, finishing the brisk six-play drive with a 1-yard strike to Isaac Adcock, the first of his four touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl victory. Things went from bad to worse for the Bulldogs on their opening offensive possession.
Looking to get some quick rhythm after a holding penalty pushed them ten yards closer to their goal line, George Okoye tried to find TE Malik Smoker on a shovel pass screen. The problem was; Smoker never turned around. The ball bounced off Smoker's back and was deftly plucked from the air by Jason Pilgrim, putting the Sooners right back in scoring range.
Adcock punched in his second touchdown and it looked like the Sooners were well on their way to rolling the wagon out of New Orleans with a Sugar Bowl trophy in tow. To his credit, Okoye composed himself to march Georgia down the field, finding De'Andre Kashama on a 16-yard touchdown to briefly silence the swarming Sooner fans in attendance.
Oklahoma would score the next twenty-four points, with the aid of a second Okoye interception, building a commanding lead that not even 10 final points before the half by Georgia could put a dent into.
Oklahoma entered the half with the gargantuan 38-17 lead and tacked on two more touchdowns for good measure before backup QB Ben Beach scored a morale victory for Georgia with a late touchdown.
If anyone wanted to question the Oklahoma Sooners' determination to reach their third consecutive National Championship, consider yourself warned.
They mean business.
•••
Question One - Larry Samson (The Red & Black): "Coach, your offense has relied on a number of different backs to keep the chains moving throughout the season. With the return of Tyler Ryder, you once again had a stable of three backs with unique abilities, that seemed to give the Bulldogs fits defensively. How hard is it, as a defensive coach, to prepare for a team with so many versatile weapons at their disposal?"
Armando Leon: "Ty's return was a big part of our success. He brings that bruising, old school element to complement Isaac and Dill's flash and sizzle. But I imagine it's incredibly difficult. We have the ability to utilize any of those three at any time, sometimes on the same drive, to keep the defense guessing. When you're stuffing Ty between the tackles, suddenly Dill is downfield catching passes, or Isaac is flared out on a screen with a convoy. We make sure to give each of them the ball in different situations to avoid the defense being tipped off. It's worked so far and we're going to keep utilizing it until the wheels fall off."
Question Two - Meg Semental (SEC Network): "Many call the SEC the hardest conference in college football, with some even going as far as saying it's closer to NFL level than it is to the other FBS power conferences. Yet, you've performed your best against the SEC with only one loss in your career against an SEC school. Is the conferences superiority simply overstated, or are you simply better prepared for that type of competition?"
Armando Leon: "I can't speak to any of the other programs in the SEC, but we train to win regardless of the opponent. I know other coaches say that, but we do it. So when you know you're going up against the best—and believe me I certainly think the SEC is the toughest conference in college football—it makes you rise to the occasion every single practice. That type of intensity doesn't just disappear when the patch doesn't say "SEC" on the opponent. And I think that is what sets us apart."
Question Three - James McDavid (OU Daily): "Coach, the three running backs are obviously getting a lot of attention, and deservedly so. But once again, Markelle Nickey rose to the occasion. How mind-boggling is it that he's still a sophomore and yet is out here performing with the poise of a veteran?"
Armando Leon: "He was built for this, period. He had some up and down moments in the regular season, even he'll admit that, but when the lights shine the brightest, Nick rises to the occasion. There's a reason he's the captain, I've been pounding that drum all season. Nothing he does anymore leaves me in awe, he's just that dude."
•••
One down, two to go, folks.
I think this one speaks for itself.
We came, we saw, and we kicked some Bulldog ass.
On to the next one. #BoomerSooner.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Georgia | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Oklahoma | 24 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
| Q | Team | Time | Play | Georgia | Oklahoma |
| 1st | Oklahoma | 7:50 | Isaac Adcock, 1 Yd Pass From Markelle Nickey | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | Oklahoma | 7:12 | Isaac Adcock, 3 Yd Run | 0 | 14 |
| 1st | Georgia | 5:23 | De'Andre Kashama, 16 Yd Pass From George Okoye | 7 | 14 |
| 1st | Oklahoma | 5:09 | Isaac Adcock, 80 Yd Run | 7 | 21 |
| 1st | Oklahoma | 2:34 | Ty Dexter, 43 Yd FG | 7 | 24 |
| 2nd | Oklahoma | 7:17 | JaMichael Buggs, 16 Yd Pass From Markelle Nickey | 7 | 31 |
| 2nd | Oklahoma | 5:47 | Maurice Lucky, 5 Yd Pass From Markelle Nickey | 7 | 38 |
| 2nd | Georgia | 2:24 | Garrison Hazelwood, 17 Yd Pass From George Okoye | 14 | 38 |
| 2nd | Georgia | 0:01 | Josh Augustine, 21 Yd FG | 17 | 38 |
| 3rd | Oklahoma | 3:18 | Maurice Lucky, 33 Yd Pass From Markelle Nickey | 17 | 45 |
| 4th | Oklahoma | 4:05 | Isaac Adcock, 13 Yd Run | 17 | 52 |
| 4th | Georgia | 1:55 | Tyrone Smolko, 20 Yd Pass From Ben Beach | 24 | 52 |
Georgia Oklahoma Passing | Stats Passing | Stats ----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------ George Okoye | 22/28, 236 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Markelle Nickey | 25/33, 251 Yds, 4 TD Ben Beach | 4/6, 94 Yds, TD Rushing | Stats Rushing | Stats ----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------ Maka Manuwai | 8 Att, 49 Yds Tyler Ryder | 12 Att, 89 Yds Keke Ogbuehi | 3 Att, 29 Yds Isaac Adcock | 9 Att, 122 Yds, 3 TD Receiving | Stats Receiving | Stats ----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------ Malik Smoker | 8 Rec, 117 Yds Maurice Lucky | 7 Rec, 96 Yds, 2 TD Avery Pughsley | 5 Rec, 65 Yds Isaac Adcock | 7 Rec, 55 Yds, TD De'Andre Kashama | 2 Rec, 19 Yds, TD Dillon Slye | 4 Rec, 42 Yds Defensive | Stats Defensive | Stats ----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------ FS Glen Byler | 9 Tkl MLB Gordon Paul | 10 Tkl, 5 TFL, 0.5 Sack, FF, FR FS Brian Corral | 7 Tkl, 2 TFL CB Isaac Heeney | 9 Tkl, INT CB Quandre Leslie | 3 Tkl, 2 TFL DT Mailau Pool | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, 0.5 Sack
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Results
Cotton Bowl - 30 #5 Tennessee (11-3) vs #4 Duke (12-2) 38
Orange Bowl - 24 #6 Arizona State (14-1) @ #3 Miami (11-3) 21
Rose Bowl - 6 #7 Ohio State (12-3) vs #2 USC (13-1) 38
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