John Mateer’s struggles sting worse due to a mistake the Oklahoma Sooners made years ago that he has nothing to do with
The Oklahoma Sooners ended up going with John Mateer over Michael Hawkins, and it could be big mistake.
The Oklahoma Sooners may have regressed as a team, and it’s one of the most shocking things we have seen in college football. This is the same team that was up 17-0 against Alabama in the College Football Playoff a year ago. Now, there is discourse around head coach Brent Venables, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, and quarterback John Mateer.
They went into halftime at home against New Mexico up just 7-6. Now, Lobos head coach Jason Eck is a good ball coach. He has a good team. But OU should be winning this game fairly easily. Instead, they look similar to the team we saw two years ago. And that’s pretty ironic, considering what else is going on in college football. The guy OU chose John Mateer over, Michael Hawkins—that guy—he’s playing fantastic football against 25th-ranked Virginia on the road.
Mateer was 12/17 for 124 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Hawkins was leading 21-14 over 25th-ranked Virginia at the half. He was 4/11 for 105 yards and one passing touchdown. But he had 12 rushes for 79 yards and two rushing touchdowns. And Virginia is certainly a better team than New Mexico, and West Virginia is certainly a less talented team than Oklahoma. He’s doing more with less against a better team.
Did the Oklahoma Sooners make a mistake choosing John Mateer over Michael Hawkins?
Two years ago, the Sooners benched Jackson Arnold. The offense was the worst in the SEC. They went with true freshman QB Michael Hawkins, and he had some magical moments, even though the team was still very bad. Fast forward a year and he’s supposed to be the guy. However, the Sooners hire Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. He then brings his QB, Mateer, with him.
Hawkins did not transfer, and honestly, he should have. Now this offseason he enters the portal and goes to West Virginia. His parents, with his father being a former OU player, bashed the program all over social media. And now Hawkins is making plays. Did they choose the wrong guy? Maybe. But the numbers at the time said Mateer, playing in the Pac-2, was the best transfer portal player in the country. They paid the NIL money and got him.
Hawkins is a good football player. I still can’t tell you if it would have panned out for him at Oklahoma. I can tell you he never really got a fair shot with a good team around him. He’s showing now that he’s not a bad dual-threat quarterback.
John Mateer finished with 229 passing yards on 18/24, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was much better in the second half. But he still wasn’t great. He had some really bad missed throws, and some moments when he ran out of the pocket when he didn’t have to. And some very bad runs. Mateer also ran the ball ten times for 17 yards. The offense as a whole is just terrible. OU walked away with a very close win.
As for Hawkins, he ended up with 190 passing yards on 10/17 passing. He threw two passing TDs, threw no interceptions, and added 123 rushing yards on 18 carries for three rushing TDs. And they upset Virginia. His passing numbers aren’t anything crazy. But, that’s the offense he is in. He and the running back combined for 245 rushing yards alone. He orchestrated the offense and led the team to a 38-27 win.
