John Mateer gets brutally honest with himself after Oklahoma Sooners lose to Ole Miss Rebels at home
John Mateer just did not play well for the Oklahoma Sooners against the Ole Miss Rebels.
On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners found themselves losing their second game of the season, and now falling to No. 18 in the AP Poll. The Ole Miss Rebels were the better team, and that’s largely because of how bad the offense played, specifically at the quarterback position. If the Sooners want to win a lot of games, John Mateer has to be better, and he knows that.
“Can’t miss opportunities when they’re there,” Mateer told reporters after the game. “I had a lot of mis-reads, and I thought the guys played well, but didn’t take advantage of all the opportunities. One for three in the red zone for a touchdown, you have to score in the red zone in this league, and against that offense, you’ve got to score. We didn’t do that.
“It’s just misses, you can’t be perfect. But they gave us what we thought they were gonna give us on film, they dropped eight a lot, and just my eyes weren’t as good as they needed to be. I emphasized it in practice, throwing the ball down the field. Then, I just missed. Can’t happen in that situation. Something I’ve got to learn from and something I’ve got to get better at. Period. I’ve got to be better.”
He hasn’t been at his best in a while, if at all this season, and they need his best.
Sooners’ remaining schedule will call for Mateer at his best
The Oklahoma Sooners still have maybe the hardest remaining schedule in football. Now, some of the games have gotten a bit easier for all of the wrong reasons, like their game against Missouri who’s starting QB is done for the year, but there are still some tough games.
They still have Mizzou, the Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and LSU Tigers. Granted, Bama almost lost to South Carolina and LSU just fired their head coach, but those games will still be tough. Most importantly, just about all of those teams have a better defense than Ole Miss.
Oklahoma Sooners’ remaining 2025 schedule
- November 1, 2025: at Tennessee (Away) – 7:30 PM ET 11
- November 15, 2025: at Alabama (Away) – TBD 11
- November 22, 2025: vs. Missouri (Home) – 12:00 PM ET 11
- November 29, 2025: vs. LSU (Home) – TBD 11
The Rebels had the worst defense the Sooners will face in the SEC this year, and if the offense and Mateer struggled with them, it’s worrisome what could happen against the others. His eyes have not been good, and his decision making has been terrible. He knows that.
On fourth down, Isaiah Sategna, your best receiver, is wide open for a first down and he throws into double coverage to JaVonnie Gibson. Not to mention, Mateer had another receiver open in the opposite flat as well. These things cannot happens, and Mateer has to be better. The way he played against the Michigan Wolverines, that may be the best version we have seen from him, especially with some of the throws he made. So, what happened to him?
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