Oklahoma Sooners QB John Mateer is showing empathy with the fan base, but there’s no way they want to hear it
The Oklahoma Sooners need better play from quarterback John Mateer, and he knows it too.
The Oklahoma Sooners are right back in the same position they were last year, and this time it could be even worse. OU just scored 14 points against the New Mexico Lobos.
Credit to New Mexico, a team that could win its conference, but Oklahoma should have won handily. Instead of talking about a 2-1 Sooners squad that fixed the mistakes from the Michigan game, the mistakes got worse. The run game wasn’t working. The pass game wasn’t working. Most importantly, quarterback John Mateer still looks bad. The same issues fans and analysts bashed him for last season are back. He’s reverting to old habits, and that cannot happen for a team with SEC aspirations.
Mateer knows the problem exists
After the game, Mateer was blunt about his performance.
“I’m tired of getting up here and saying I can’t keep making these mistakes,” Mateer said.
The problem is, it feels like that’s exactly what will keep happening. Mateer played much better in the second half, but the first half was terrible football. He finished the game 19 of 25 with 238 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also ran the ball 10 times for 17 yards. He just wasn’t good.
To make matters worse for OU fans, former Sooner Michael Hawkins went to West Virginia and beat No. 25 Virginia while putting up huge numbers. That comparison didn’t help the mood around Norman.
The same issues over and over again
Mateer’s problems mostly stem from his inability to read a defense and run an offense the way it’s designed. He’s not a game manager. He wants to make hero-type plays every single snap, and he’s just not built for that in the SEC. He throws into coverages he shouldn’t. He doesn’t follow his blockers on runs that would have led to touchdowns.
The same mistakes cost the Sooners valuable points or chances at points on offense, over and over and over again. If Mateer can’t figure it out, Oklahoma could turn to Whit Newbauer or Bowe Bentley at some point this season. That’s the reality right now.
The defense can’t carry this team forever
Oklahoma’s defense has been carrying the weight of the entire team. That’s not sustainable. The defense can only do so much when the offense puts up 14 points against a Group of Five opponent. The only realistic path forward for Mateer isn’t necessarily to become a different player. He’s not going to throw for 400 or 500 yards and four touchdowns.
That’s not going to happen, and it might not happen in a single game all season. The goal has to be limiting mistakes, plain and simple. Stop turning the ball over, follow the scheme, and let the defense keep games close. The Sooners play Georgia this week, probably the best team in the country. If Mateer doesn’t figure something out fast, it could get ugly.
