It has been a difficult season for Oklahoma so far. After an opening win over UTEP, they fell to Michigan in Week 2. Then, Oklahoma put out an unspiring performance against New Mexico in Week 3. The road only gets tougher, as Oklahoma is set to visit Georgia in Week 4.

While Oklahoma has struggled on offense the last two weeks, Georgia coach Kirby Smart is not taking the Sooners and Brent Venables lightly, according to Graham Coffey of Dawgs Central.

“I have the utmost respect for him as a coach, a man and a person,” Smart said of Venables.  “I don’t think people give their coaches and kids enough credit of how they play. They play with unbelievable pad level and really an intensity that is unmatched.”

On paper, this one seems like a mismatch. Over the last two weeks, Oklahoma has scored just 24 points, and while they beat New Mexico, it was a 14-6 win. Meanwhile, John Mateer has thrown three interceptions in the last two games. Georgia has been dominating all year. They have allowed 40 combined points in three games. The Bulldogs have also scored 45 or more points in all three games this season.

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Georgia and Oklahoma have faced each other just once in their schools' history. They were in the 2018 Rose Bowl, following the 2017 season, and it was a CFP semifinal game. In that contest, Georgia and Smart defeated Oklahoma, then led by Lincoln Riley, 54-48

Smart has had to face off against a Venables-led defense before. That was back in 2021, when Venables was the defensive coordinator for Clemson. It was an opening-week game for the two schools, and Georgia took the 10-3 victory over Clemson.

Georgia is 3-0 and one of the top teams in the country, while Oklahoma recently dropped from the Top 25. The two kick off from Athens on Saturday at 3:30 pm ET.