ATHENS, Ga. -- — Chris Cole scored on a 85-yard fumble return as No. 2 Georgia took advantage of three first-half turnovers by John Mateer and overwhelmed struggling Oklahoma 41-13 on Saturday.

Mateer lost two fumbles, each recovered by Cole, and threw an interception in the first half as Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) fell behind 28-0. K.J. Bolden picked off a pass from Mateer in the second quarter.

While Mateer struggled with turnovers, Gunner Stockton was almost perfect in the first half for Georgia (4-0, 2-0). Stockton completed his first nine passes, including a 35-yard touchdown throw to Talyn Taylor.

The Sooners finished with four turnovers, including a fumble by tight end Rocky Beers in the third quarter. That paved the way for Georgia's runaway win despite claiming a modest 306-296 advantage in total yards.

“To compete and win the game, obviously the number one priority is taking care of the football and certainly we failed miserably in doing that,” said Oklahoma coach Brent Venables. “... We've got to get out of our own way and give ourselves an opportunity without being careless with the football at the end of the day.”

Mateer's second lost fumble, forced by Raylen Wilson, was returned 23 yards by Cole late in the first half to set up Chauncey Bowens' second touchdown run.

Georgia rolled despite holding out its top running back, Nate Frazier, due to injured ribs. Bowens had touchdown runs of 2 and 6 yards as the fill-in starter. Dwight Phillips added a 54-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma's defense previously had allowed only two touchdowns in three games. Oklahoma began the day leading the SEC in pass defense and scoring defense, allowing only 7.7 points per game.

The Sooners' loss continued a troubling opening month that included a 17-10 loss to Michigan in Week 2 and an underwhelming 14-6 win over New Mexico the following week. They fell out of the AP Top 25 last week.

Second-half tie

Georgia coach Kirby Smart wasn't pleased with what he saw as a lull by his team in the second half, when they teams played to a 13-13 tie.

“There was definitely a lull,” Smart said. “Good teams don’t have lulls. … They didn’t stop us. We stopped ourselves.”

Added Smart when asked about the 28-0 halftime lead: “The scoreboard should never matter. We've got to play to our standard all the time.”

Just one game

Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen said the “message in the locker room” was the Sooners can't allow the loss to “define our season.”

“We know what we're capable of,” Bowen said. “This wasn't the best representation of our abilities.”

The path to 4-0

Georgia improved to 32-4 in SEC home games and 59-5 overall in conference games under Smart. ... The Bulldogs have topped 40 points in each of their first four games for the first time since 2018. Their 219 points is the high mark after four games since 1910, when Georgia had 237 points through four games. ... Georgia has outscored opponents 63-0 in the first quarter and 133-12 in the first half.

Sticking with Mateer

Venables stuck with Mateer despite the turnovers but acknowledged making a change at quarterback was “something we discussed.”

The Takeaway

Oklahoma: Mateer's turnovers leave him in the spotlight for the Sooners. Mateer completed 25 of 34 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Mateer threw a 17-yard scoring pass to Beers in the third quarter and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Manny Choice late in the game. The Sooners moved the ball better than the score indicated. They outgained the Bulldogs 210-173 through three quarters.

Georgia: The Bulldogs entered the game leading the nation with 59.3 points per game, but had more modest production against Oklahoma's strong defense. Even so, the Bulldogs were effective in taking advantage of opportunities. Stockton completed a 30-yard pass to Taylor on an impressive 11-play touchdown drive in the first quarter. Stockton completed 14 of 25 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Up Next

Oklahoma plays No. 1 Texas on Oct. 10 in Dallas.

Georgia plays another SEC home game against Vanderbilt next Saturday.