'He's a Dog': When Oklahoma Needed Him Most, QB John Mateer Delivered

The Sooners needed a review, but after the refs took a look, it was ruled a 31-yard catch to set OU up on the 9-yard line. 

“I knew it was a catch,” Sategna said. “I was just waiting for them to go to replay.”

From there, Mateer powered nine yards to the house, putting OU back on top for good and extending his streak of posting a passing and rushing touchdown to 10-straight games. 

“He makes plays every single drive,” Sategna said. “It’s crazy to see some of the throws he makes. I really have to go look at it a second time and be like, ‘Wow, he really made that?’ He’s a dog.”

Mateer completed 16 of his last 17 passes. He finished with 271 passing yards on 24-of-36 completions for a score, and added 29 yards on the ground on 10 carries. 

OU finished with only 32 rushing yards, but when R Mason Thomas sacked Arnold for a safety, Mateer’s late-game heroics played a big part in the Sooners’ 24-17 win over Auburn. 

“I have all the trust in the world in John Mateer,” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “And there's a few things in the first half he wishes he could have back. But it was just a good, subtle reminder at halftime to relax. 

“Everything we want is there, just relax, deliver the ball like you have all week in practice. And that's what he did. He was great there in the second half for us.”

Read More Oklahoma vs. Auburn

• Three Quick Takeaways From No. 11 Oklahoma's Victory Over No. 22 Auburn
• Oklahoma-Auburn: OU Stock Report
• D-Line Leads the way in Oklahoma's win Over Auburn: Position-by-Position Report Card

Oklahoma got six offensive possessions in the second half. 

Mateer led the offense on two field goal drives, along with the decisive touchdown drive. The Sooners had to punt twice, but their sixth possession ended by taking a pair of knees in the victory formation. 

“That just tells you a lot about who they are, who's in the huddle,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Coach Arbuckle and the rest of the offensive coaches, to get our guys to put the drive together when we needed to, at the most critical time of the game, to go win the game. And they were able to do it.”

The Sooners hope to get their banged-up offensive line healthy over the bye week, but with the yearly battle with Texas looming, confidence is high that Mateer can lead a drive when the lights are the brightest throughout the next eight games. 

“That’s what you get excited for,” Mateer said. “You can only write that story so many times. 

“… That’s what you dream about. And doing it in your first SEC game? That’s pretty cool.”