NORMAN, Okla. — John Mateer wasn’t flawless, but when No. 18 Oklahoma needed him most, he delivered. In the process, the Sooners found the superstar they’ll ride toward their championship dreams.
The quarterback by way of Washington State from the transfer portal flashed his gun-slinging arm with his whip-like, side-arm throwing motion and slashed Michigan’s defense with his legs on the way to an impressive 24-13 victory against No. 15 Michigan. The Sooners never trailed, but when Michigan clawed within one score in the third quarter, Mateer coolly engineered a nearly 9-minute drive that smothered the clock, sealed the win and thrust Oklahoma into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Validated? Maybe. Satisfied? Not even close.
“I wouldn’t say it’s validation because we play in seven days,” Mateer said. “There’s no time to just sit on it.”
Unsurprisingly, Mateer rose to the top of the betting odds for Heisman, emerging as the favorite by the end of the night, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
However, there were mistakes — and Mateer will be the first to admit that he needs to clean things up. His whip-quick release produces fireworks … and danger. Three tipped passes and an interception showed that Mateer’s fastball sometimes comes in too flat. He dropped his elbow on an early pick, allowing the ball to sail over his receivers. Other darts look impressive coming off the hand, but it doesn’t always get enough air underneath the ball.
“The thing with John is, I trust that kid to no end,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “He understands moments and situations. He knows when to take a chance, when not to take a chance, and so whenever he lets one rip and puts the ball in what someone may say is a risky situation, I have the utmost confidence that he’s making the right decision.
“No fear for me whenever John Mateer does his thing.”
Yes, “No Fear” John Mateer was downright unstoppable against the Wolverines, but for the uninitiated to the Mateer Experience, it was nothing new. Saturday was his 12th game with at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, the most in the FBS since 2024. Last season, he lifted Washington State to eight wins, and many were sealed with critical plays in the fourth quarter, just as he replicated Saturday night against the Wolverines.
Simply put, Mateer was in his element. He followed his Washington State offensive coordinator to Norman so they could chase a championship. Their player-coach dynamic is more akin to siblings with an older mentor. Arbuckle referred to his quarterback as “dude” several times Saturday night.
“I can sit there next to him and be like, ‘Come on, dough head, what are you doing, dude?'” Arbuckle chuckled. “It’ll be good. A lot of unbelievable learns will come from this tape, and the best part about him is that he owns everything — good and bad. He’s ready to get better from it and not make the same mistakes twice.”
Mateer ran the ball 19 times — more than his coaches planned, by the way — and picked up 74 yards, including a crazy run in which he shimmied a defender for a 19-yard gain down the sideline on the final possession.
“He’s a tough-ass dude,” said tight end Jaren Kanak. “He’s going to run the ball and he’s going to try and run you over. He’s got a little stanky leg, too, that he can hit you with.”
“I like watching a little Ashton Jeanty film here and there,” Mateer said.
Mateer completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown with one pick. At his best, he dazzled, rolling out of the pocket to hit receivers downfield, including an incredible 36-yarder to Isaiah Sategna III down the sideline on a scramble drill to set up a touchdown and 21-7 lead early in the third quarter. Among the long list of incredible quarterbacks and Heisman winners to come through Oklahoma in recent years, Mateer looked most like Baker Mayfield with his play-making scrambles and big throws.
During Michigan’s run that trimmed the lead to 21-13, he had three straight incomplete passes but rebounded with four straight completions to seal the game. He threw or ran eight times on the Sooners’ 16-play drive that spanned 8 minutes, 27 seconds, and ended with Tate Sandell’s 21-yard field goal with 1:44 remaining.
“I should probably chill out, protect my body, but it was fun and I knew that’s what it was going to take to win,” said Mateer, who said he participates in running back drills to prepare his body for hard hits.
“I’m just laughing,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s close to a 10-minute drive. Those are hard to get against good people. They’re hard to get at practice against the scouts without some screw-ups along the way.”
Bowl projections: Oregon rises in College Football Playoff bracket as Florida, Clemson exit field
Brad Crawford
Mateer was responsible for 13 of Oklahoma’s 14 explosive plays, including three runs of 10 yards or more.
“Electric,” said receiver Deion Burks, who finished with a game-leading seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. “I feel like he’s still scraping the surface, you know? We didn’t even get to see the best him yet. Sometimes he makes mistakes, but his mindset and his will and his want is different from a lot of things I’ve seen.”
As much as Mateer’s performance placed him on the map among the sport’s best players, the win may have been bigger for the Sooners, who a year ago recorded their second losing season in three years, the program’s first such occurrence since 1998. Many questioned whether Venables should be the head coach, but he rebuilt the roster via the transfer portal in the offseason, bringing in Mateer and a load of new receivers and linemen to transform the roster into a championship contender.
On Saturday night, players lifted Venables on their shoulders as they celebrated in front of Oklahoma’s marching band. “I’m embarrassed,” Venables sighed. “This is a player’s game first of all and a lot of other people are responsible for getting to that moment.”
As Mateer soaked in the first big win of his career as a Sooner, he meandered for nearly half an hour, receiving dozens of pats on the back, a few selfie requests from fans and boosters, and a chest bump or two from his teammates. He shook hands with OU dignitaries, including athletics director Joe Castiglione, whose red cowboy hat made him difficult to miss in the crowd. “This is a building block,” the AD said afterward.
Mateer tracked down his quarterback trainer in the crowd, motioning for him to slip through the chaotic crowd of admirers in the stands to share notes on the performance. “He’s a hell of a football player that says ‘hut’ and throws the football,” Mike Keith deadpanned. “He happens to be good at both.”
Mateer wasn’t perfect, but he was when the Sooners needed him to be.
Nearing the end of his 30-minute odyssey on the field after the game, he spotted his head coach. They dapped hands, flashing wide grins.
“Had a bunch of turnovers,” Mateer told Venables, “and still beat that ass.”
Next for Oklahoma is a trip to Temple, followed by a return to the SEC against a resurgent Auburn team. Venables cautioned the Sooners before kickoff Saturday that one big game can not define a season. Complacency can easily seep into the mind when everyone is slapping you on the back with appreciation. Venables reminded his players of such a time in 2023, when the Sooners upset rival Texas, only to lose back-to-back games three weeks later.
“I won a couple big games last year,” Mateer echoed. “You come back and you’ve got to get after it. How you respond to success shows who you are as a man.”
Time will tell whether Mateer is a Heisman winner, too.
Read the full article here