Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables says the exact opposite of what the fan base probably feels after watching John Mateer vs. Michigan
The Oklahoma Sooners are leaving Ann Arbor with a loss and a quarterback in John Mateer who has a lot to fix.
The Oklahoma Sooners have their first loss of the season and it’s in Week 2 rather than the middle of the season. So, we quickly got the John Mateer experience at it’s fullest.
Last year their first loss came by way of the Texas Longhorns. This year it’s from the Michigan Wolverines. And given the context, this loss may be even worse. Mateer was terrible, and the team showed that many of their issues from last season are still very prevelant.
They can’t run the ball, or refuse to with anyone other than Mateer. The offense just stinks, and the offensive line was bad. It was all bad, really. Yet, Brent Venables is trying his hardest to keep things positive. But, it’s not working — fans aren’t going to fall for it.
Brent Venables talks about the game John Mateer had vs. Michigan
“A little uneven… Some missed throws… We have to do a cleaner job on protection… He did a good job of managing the game,” Venables said when asked about his assessment of his quarterback’s play in Ann Arbor.
Mateer ended the game 17/33 passing, with 189 passing yards, one touchdown that was wide open, an interception that should have been a pick-six, and 45 rushing yards on 13 carries. It just wasn’t a good game. And, to make matters worse, he was terrible at “managing the game.” The final two possessions tell you everything you need to know about that.
What’s the No. 1 rule late in the game when you have no timeouts? Don’t take a sack. What ended up ending the game with the Sooners having a chance? A sack that Mateer took. The Sooners had terrible game management from both their QB and their offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle. No one needs to say it, but the offensive line was terrible.
When the pocket was clean, Mateer would either leave the pocket, or make it way tougher on himself. He didn’t do himself any favors. not to mention, he had an opportunity for a rushing touchdowns if he just kept running behind his blockers. But, instead, he made a cut that got him tackled.
