- Oklahoma is getting 14 points at No. 2 Georgia and the total sits at 44.5.
- Left tackle Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma’s best offensive lineman, was ruled out Wednesday with a shoulder injury.
- Oddsmakers have priced the over on Mateer’s passing-touchdown total at -136, favoring at least one scoring throw.
ATHENS, Ga. — Oklahoma is getting 14 points at No. 2 Georgia on Saturday after the Sooners’ 14-6 escape against New Mexico. Quarterback John Mateer and receiver Isaiah Sategna are the reason the Sooners can still cover the 14-point college football betting spread.
A Line Missing Its Best Blocker
Oklahoma will play its biggest game of the season without left tackle Michael Fasusi, the Sooners’ best offensive lineman, ruled out against Georgia on the SEC’s Wednesday availability report. A shoulder injury suffered in the season-opening win over UTEP has now cost him three of Oklahoma’s first four games.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said at his Monday news conference that the bigger issue is what Mateer does once a play breaks down. “His athleticism pops out at you. He’s hard to tackle. He breaks a lot of tackles and he’s tough,” Smart said, adding that in the run game “he runs inside, he runs outside, he runs the pass,” and that “He scrambles to throw. He’s made explosives with his legs.”
Mateer has carried 26 times for 69 yards this season, a modest 2.7-yard average, but with his top blocker out, more of that ground total figures to come from broken pockets than called runs.
Mateer’s Arm And Sategna’s Number
Mateer is completing 62.7% of his throws for 652 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions through three games, a stretch that includes three scores and no picks in a 51-0 win over UTEP and two costly interceptions in a 14-6 win over New Mexico. Oddsmakers like his scoring rate to hold at Georgia: the over on his 0.5 passing-touchdown total is priced at -136, favoring at least one touchdown throw.
Sategna leads Oklahoma’s receiving corps at 186 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches, a 15.5-yard average built on a 34-yard touchdown catch against UTEP and a 53-yard score against New Mexico. His 62-yard season average is the receiving number to clear if Oklahoma’s offense is going to do its share of the model’s math.
In legal sports betting terms, the question on this game is whether that passing game, not the Sooners’ defense, keeps it inside two touchdowns. Kickoff at Sanford Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday, with Fasusi already scratched and the rest of Oklahoma’s line needing to hold up behind him.
