ATHENS — Even before the status of David Stone, Oklahoma’s most fearsome defensive lineman, was in doubt, Kirby Smart knew his team was going to have its hands full with the Sooners’ defensive front.

“To be honest with you, there’s not a guy on their defense that comes in — and they rotate guys — that doesn’t play with great pad level and great effort,” Smart said. “When you turn on the tape, they run to the ball like they’re in elite shape. They don’t get tired. They strike. They knock back. They get off blocks, and he’s the leader of that, but they all do.”

For all the concerns about the Oklahoma offense entering Saturday, the Oklahoma defense is more than capable of winning the game. The Sooners rank in the top-10 in scoring defense, passing defense and yards per play allowed, even with a loss to Michigan.

Oklahoma coach and defensive play-caller Brent Venables has long been one of the best defensive minds in the sport. While Saturday will be the first time he and Kirby Smart face off as head coaches, there is history between Smart and Venables. He was the defensive coordinator for Clemson in 2021. That was the last time Georgia did not score an offensive touchdown in a game.

“The way they go about their business, they are violent. They play hard,” Smart said. “They play with a purpose. They are very intelligent. They know what they’re doing as well as you know what you’re doing. They do a great job of formationing things and understanding what your tendencies are. They play really hard. When you get good talented players playing with fundamentals, they don’t get blocked. They might get blocked, but they don’t stay blocked. They get off blocks. They’re hard to block.”

Georgia’s offensive line knows it will have to be at its best on Saturday if the Bulldogs are to win, let alone maintain their elite offensive play thus far.

The Bulldogs have rushed for 200 yards and scored 45 points in all three wins. Yet there will be a massive jump in competition for Georgia, something the offensive line has long known.

“They’re definitely similar to some of the guys we face during practice,” center Drew Bobo said. “They’re big and athletic. And just they do a lot of different things defensively, so just being able to see what they do up front and watch that on film has been good.”

Saturday will be the first time Bobo is able to use both of his hands in a game. He played with a black club on his left, non-snapping hand for the first three games after suffering a finger injury during preseason camp.

While the Bulldogs have been strong on the ground so far, Georgia did have some issues in pass protection against Arkansas. Georgia gave up three sacks on the afternoon after not having given up any in its first two wins.

For as weak as Arkansas might be, it does have quality players in its defensive front. Quincy Rhodes, who picked up a sack of Gunner Stockton, could well be a first-round draft pick.

Georgia’s offensive line knows it won’t win every rep in SEC play. That’ll be especially true against an Oklahoma defensive line that might be the best Georgia faces all season.

“You can’t really point fingers on the field and stuff like that,” offensive lineman Earnest Greene said after the win over Arkansas. “You trying to figure out what happened, and then as soon as we get to the sideline with the iPads, figure out what happened and see if it was technique-based or if it was a bad lie or if somebody just got beat.”

If someone struggles, Georgia does have options it can turn to on the offensive line. The Bulldogs have made it a point to get freshman Ekene Ogboko some extra reps with the first-team offense. While Juan Gaston is still the team’s starting offensive tackle, Georgia knows the value of having another player who can play winning football.

No matter if there will be plays on Saturday when Georgia could have two first-year players — Ogboko and Zykie Helton — manning the right side of the offensive line.

“Going on the road for the first time in the SEC, especially for some of the other guys, was really important just to have that experience and see how important it was,” Bobo said. “And then obviously giving up a couple sacks, it’s not our standard and not what we want to do. So that’s stuff we have to clean up and look at what we did and how we can fix that this week.”

Saturday’s game will be another important experience for the Georgia offensive line. It will be their toughest test of the season to date, even if Stone does miss the game with a knee injury.

The Bulldogs, though, can’t be worried about what the Sooners bring to the table. They don’t need a quality opponent to bring out the best in them.

A strong showing against this Oklahoma front will have most forgetting the leaky line play against Arkansas.

It won’t be easy, but it’s something this group knows it is capable of delivering.