University of Georgia Athletics
Cole Fumble Return Leads Strong Defensive Effort
September 26, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Chris Cole has some serious speed. Despite being 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, the Georgia linebacker can scoot. He reminded everyone of that Saturday afternoon in the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs' 41-13 win over Oklahoma.
In 2023, as a senior in high school, Cole ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.44 seconds at the Nike Indoor Nationals track meet, placing a very respectable fourth. He's shown that speed plenty of times in his Georgia career, but never like he did against the Sooners.
In the second quarter, Cole recovered a fumble by Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer at the UGA 15-yard line and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 8:58 left in the half. Cole didn't force the fumble — Mateer just lost the ball on either a pass attempt or a pump fake — but he was there to scoop up the prize at his feet and then outrun everyone to the end zone.
Among Georgia's offensive linemen, Cole is often called "Tarantula," according to left tackle Earnest Greene, III.
"We call him that because of the way he covers ground and uses his limbs, how he's built and stuff like that," Greene said in the preseason. "As a football player, he's a freak athlete."
The 85-yarder wasn't Cole's only fumble recovery or nice run afterward. Later in the second quarter, after linebacker Raylen Wilson stripped Mateer of the ball behind the line of scrimmage, Cole returned the fumble 23 yards to the Sooner 11-yard line. Two plays later, Chauncey Bowens ran the ball in from the 6 for his second touchdown of the game and fifth in his past two.
In between Cole's fumble recoveries, Georgia safety KJ Bolden intercepted a Mateer pass and returned the ball 29 yards to the Bulldog 47. Georgia safety Rasean Dinkins also recovered an Oklahoma fumble in the third quarter. The Bulldogs finished with 137 return yards off of the four takeaways.
"Oklahoma helped us a lot," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the Sooners' four turnovers.
It wasn't a great day for either offense — Georgia finished with 307 total yards to Oklahoma's 296 — and the strong defenses had a lot to do with that. The Bulldogs held the Sooners to 65 yards rushing on 35 attempts, a 1.9 yards-per-rush average, one week after holding Arkansas to 17 yards on 20 carries. Smart said after last week's win over the Razorbacks that "teams are going to struggle to run the ball against us," and that was true again Saturday. The Sooners' longest run was a Mateer 9-yarder in the third quarter.
Of Oklahoma's 14 possessions, not counting one in the final minute of the first half, six ended in punts and four in turnovers. Georgia punted a season-high five times, turned the ball over twice, and also scored on five offensive possessions.
Both defenses forced punts on each team's opening drive, and then the Bulldogs drove 79 yards on 11 plays for a 7-0 lead. Bowens scored from the 2 at the end of the long drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. Georgia made it 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Gunner Stockton hit receiver Talyn Taylor for a 35-yard touchdown.
Cole's 85-yard scoop and score made it 21-0, and Bowens' 6-yard run after Cole's second fumble recovery and return made it 28-0 just before halftime. Cole's return for a touchdown wasn't his first for the Bulldogs; in 2024, he returned a fumble 28 yards for a score against UMass.
Wilson led the Bulldogs with a game-high 11 tackles, including eight solo, and Cole was second on the team with eight (seven solo). Wilson and Cole also had one sack each. Georgia finished with three sacks (Josh Horton had the third) and five tackles for loss.
Staff Writer
Chris Cole has some serious speed. Despite being 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, the Georgia linebacker can scoot. He reminded everyone of that Saturday afternoon in the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs' 41-13 win over Oklahoma.
In 2023, as a senior in high school, Cole ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.44 seconds at the Nike Indoor Nationals track meet, placing a very respectable fourth. He's shown that speed plenty of times in his Georgia career, but never like he did against the Sooners.
In the second quarter, Cole recovered a fumble by Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer at the UGA 15-yard line and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 8:58 left in the half. Cole didn't force the fumble — Mateer just lost the ball on either a pass attempt or a pump fake — but he was there to scoop up the prize at his feet and then outrun everyone to the end zone.
Among Georgia's offensive linemen, Cole is often called "Tarantula," according to left tackle Earnest Greene, III.
"We call him that because of the way he covers ground and uses his limbs, how he's built and stuff like that," Greene said in the preseason. "As a football player, he's a freak athlete."
The 85-yarder wasn't Cole's only fumble recovery or nice run afterward. Later in the second quarter, after linebacker Raylen Wilson stripped Mateer of the ball behind the line of scrimmage, Cole returned the fumble 23 yards to the Sooner 11-yard line. Two plays later, Chauncey Bowens ran the ball in from the 6 for his second touchdown of the game and fifth in his past two.
In between Cole's fumble recoveries, Georgia safety KJ Bolden intercepted a Mateer pass and returned the ball 29 yards to the Bulldog 47. Georgia safety Rasean Dinkins also recovered an Oklahoma fumble in the third quarter. The Bulldogs finished with 137 return yards off of the four takeaways.
"Oklahoma helped us a lot," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the Sooners' four turnovers.
It wasn't a great day for either offense — Georgia finished with 307 total yards to Oklahoma's 296 — and the strong defenses had a lot to do with that. The Bulldogs held the Sooners to 65 yards rushing on 35 attempts, a 1.9 yards-per-rush average, one week after holding Arkansas to 17 yards on 20 carries. Smart said after last week's win over the Razorbacks that "teams are going to struggle to run the ball against us," and that was true again Saturday. The Sooners' longest run was a Mateer 9-yarder in the third quarter.
Of Oklahoma's 14 possessions, not counting one in the final minute of the first half, six ended in punts and four in turnovers. Georgia punted a season-high five times, turned the ball over twice, and also scored on five offensive possessions.
Both defenses forced punts on each team's opening drive, and then the Bulldogs drove 79 yards on 11 plays for a 7-0 lead. Bowens scored from the 2 at the end of the long drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. Georgia made it 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Gunner Stockton hit receiver Talyn Taylor for a 35-yard touchdown.
Cole's 85-yard scoop and score made it 21-0, and Bowens' 6-yard run after Cole's second fumble recovery and return made it 28-0 just before halftime. Cole's return for a touchdown wasn't his first for the Bulldogs; in 2024, he returned a fumble 28 yards for a score against UMass.
Wilson led the Bulldogs with a game-high 11 tackles, including eight solo, and Cole was second on the team with eight (seven solo). Wilson and Cole also had one sack each. Georgia finished with three sacks (Josh Horton had the third) and five tackles for loss.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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