Oklahoma-Illinois State: OU Stock Report

It’s hard to get too excited about Oklahoma’s 35-3 win over Illinois State on Saturday night in Norman.

The Sooners beat up on an FCS opponent. OU was favored by 35 ½, per FanDuel sports book, but still had most of their starters and frontline players on the field for the entire game.

The Redbirds showed up, got their paycheck and took their beating. Illinois State may be the No. 6-ranked team in the FCS, but they’re still FCS. At a blue blood FBS program like OU, the Sooners’ season debut was never in doubt.

Well, maybe not never. OU’s first two offensive possessions were duds – a three-and-out and a two-and-fumble. Meanwhile, against a ballyhooed Sooner defense, the Redbird ripped off runs of 24 yards (on third-and-13) and 23 yards (on a QB scramble).

After that, things went largely according to plan as OU raced to a 21-point halftime lead and coasted to victory.

New quarterback John Mateer had seven completions of 20 yards or more – after the OU offense had just 20 all of last season. Mateer also rushed for a touchdown. Jaren Kanak showed some real skill at tight end. Tory Blaylock flashed at running back. Keontez Lewis Deion Burks and Isaiah Sategna each announced their intentions with a huge performance.

Things will get much tougher next week when the Michigan Wolverines come to Norman. Coached by former Sooner offensive lineman Sherrone Moore, Michigan last season beat national champion Ohio State in their annual border war, and they won their own national championship the year before. It’ll be just the second time ever the two historic blue bloods have met.

Here is the Sooners On SI stock report from Saturday night’s easy win.

Up: QB John Mateer

Not sure how much “up” Mateer’s stock could go after all the offseason hype, but at least now he’s proven something on the field.

After a three-and-out on the first drive and a third-down conversion that was fumbled (see below), the Oklahoma offense had gone nowhere in its first two possessions. With the third possession starting at the OU 6-yard line, Mateer took over. He connected with Deion Burks (who snagged a one-handed catch) for 28 yards, then found Keontez Lewis for 14 yards. Mateer gained 4 yards and 7 yards on the next two plays. After a handoff to Jovantae Barnes, he dumped down to Tory Blaylock for 2 yards, then completed throws to Isaiah Sategna (0 yards), Jacob Jordan (27 yards) and two plays later cashed in the 94-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, and the rout was on.

Mateer had 227 passing yards, 14 rushing yards and two TDs at halftime and finished the night with 392 yards – breaking Baker Mayfield’s record of 388 yards for most passing yards in a Sooner debut.

Mateer’s night wasn’t spotless, however. He threw a ball a little behind Burks – who might have misread the coverage – and was intercepted in the third quarter.

In all, Mateer was the trigger man in what seems to be a completely rebuilt Oklahoma offense.

Up: WR Keontez Lewis

Another transfer wide receiver who had a big game in his OU debut. Lewis caught a 28-yard touchdown from Mateer on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving him five catches for 60 yards and the Sooners a 28-3 lead.

More than that, it was Mateer’s sixth completion of 20 yards or more (to four different receivers) – the team had just 20 of those in 13 games last year. Lewis’ final grab was a 20-yard TD, giving OU seven 20-yard completions.

Later, Lewis made a miracle catch through pass interference on the sideline to pick up 19 yards, then had another acrobatic grab for 15 yards. He finished the night with 119 yards on nine catches.

Up: WR Deion Burks

He was injured most of last season after transferring from Purdue – he did catch three touchdown passes in the Sooners’ 2024 opener, then didn’t have another one all year – but Burks looks healthy and more explosive than ever.

He caught seven passes for 88 yards and a 28-yard touchdown.

Down, then way up: TE Jaren Kanak

After switching from linebacker to tight end, Kanak got his first career start on offense, but he gained just 3 yards and was smothered on his first catch on OU’s opening possession, and after converting a third down with a 21-yard catch and run over the middle on the second drive, he lost a fumble.

Kanak then hauled in another catch from Mateer over the middle – this one in stride and in the open field – and he turned it into a 48-yard gain. His first half (4 catches, 84 yards) was brilliant outside the fumble.

Up: DT David Stone

Stone chased down quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and smashed him to the ground to force an incompletion early in the second quarter. Stone, rotating with Gracen Halton, Jayden Jackson and Damonic Williams, had a strong night.

Against the Redbirds, it was actually Stone and Halton who seemed to deliver more explosive plays than the starters, including a thud for no gain by Stone on a Illinois State running back on the final play of the first half.

In the fourth quarter, Stone flushed Beckham Pellant into a sack by Taylor Wein. It was Wein who knocked out starter Tommy Rittenhouse with a QB hurry in the second quarter.

Down (just a little): LB Owen Heinecke

Rough beginning for the former walk-on and Ohio State lacrosse legacy Sooner from Tulsa. It looked like he got himself a bit out of position at the snap on Illinois State’s opening drive, and the result was a 24-yard run on third-and-13. There was no help on the outside from the d-end, and the DBs were preoccupied.

Heinecke did deliver a tackle for loss by chasing down a running back early in the second half, then made a nice solo tackle on a punt return. He finished with four solo tackles.

Up: WR Isaiah Sategna

His 21-yard punt return to open Oklahoma’s second possession was something Sooner Nation hasn’t seen much of over the past 10 years: aggressive return, explosive speed, elusive talent. He did it again early in the second quarter with a 16-yard punt return, then later in the first half popped a 65-yard runback – which was negated by an unnecessary illegal block penalty by Danny Okoye.

On offense, Sategna added two catches for 16 yards, while on punt returns, he had four runbacks for 63 yards.

Up: RB Tory Blaylock

Oklahoma’s freshman running back was versatile as a receiver out of the backfield, catching two passes for 16 yards, and he got plenty of early action as a runner with eight carries for 44 yards and a very impressive touchdown before leaving in the third quarter with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury.

But what will get him more playing time is the way he finished most of his touches: with punishing authority. The most impressive was just flat plowing over a defensive back at the end of a 16-yard swing pass. Later, he made a smooth cut on a handoff up the middle and pushed through traffic for a 5-yard touchdown.

Blaylock’s NFL dad Derrick, a 7-year pro veteran and former Kansas City Chiefs draft choice, no doubt appreciated the way he lowered his pad level and ran with power. Delivering punishment at the end of a run is obviously something RB coach DeMarco Murray knows a little about, too – he practically majored in it at OU.

Down: OT Jacob Sexton

Sexton, a senior from Edmond Deer Creek, has worked hard to get better, and he’s been diligent about staying healthy for his final season.

But after Michael Fasusi experienced a fainting episode in practice last week, it seemed Sexton’s path would be clear. Instead, he appeared to suffer a knee injury to some degree in the first quarter and never returned. The extent of his injury is unknown.