Oklahoma's John Mateer Shakes off Struggles to Turn in Gritty Performance in Road Win

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables had a message for quarterback John Mateer in the week leading up to Saturday’s game against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“Listen, let’s just focus on getting better,” Venables told Mateer. “Not being perfect — you’re never going to be.”

In the 14th-ranked Sooners’ 26-7 victory over the Gamecocks, Mateer wasn’t as sharp as he’d been through the season’s first four games.

But he didn’t need to be.

Mateer took a significant step forward after a disastrous game against Texas, and in doing so, helped lift the rest of the team around him.

“This is a dude,” Venables said. “And I say this in the football world, just a little dude that is gonna own everything, good and bad — not just the good. And if he has a fault, he wants to carry the weight up for the whole team.”

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It’s not that Mateer did it himself in victories after Michigan, Auburn, Temple and Illinois State.

But Saturday he allowed those around him on offense — particularly on the offensive line and in the running back group — to at least have a chance to lift Oklahoma to victory.

“I thought he was really sharp today,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “I thought his eyes were great. I thought the decisions he made of where the ball should go was really, really well and on point. His feet were great.”

Mateer finished 18 of 26 for 150 yards and a touchdown through the air, and eight carries for 14 yards.

His passing yardage was his lowest of the year, more than 130 yards below his season average. His rushing yardage was his second-lowest of the season, behind only his five yards in the loss to Texas where he was sacked five times for 32 yards in losses.

“I’m just proud of him and the response that he had,” Arbuckle said. “It’s really easy to feel sorry for yourself, and he didn’t do that. If he felt sorry for anything, he felt sorry for his teammates, because he really felt like he let them down. And the way that he was this entire week, his process, his preparation and his leadership. It was really good to see, and it was a really pivotal moment in his football playing career.

“But today, I mean, he was playing, did what winning requires, he did what winning requires and everything else followed suit.”

Mateer took the struggles against Texas, which also included three interceptions, personally.

“I think it was a long week,” Mateer said. “Expecting better than that, but all you can do — it’s in the past, and you can just get better. I knew we had a game today, and if I was feeling good or not, I was going to come out and play. I got myself to a good point, and the team was in a good spot, and yeah, played well.”

Mateer’s day, different from any of his first five games as the Sooners’ starting quarterback, fittingly ended in an unusual way — with his 40-yard quick-kick punt that pinned the Gamecocks at the 1.

Mateer didn’t expect the call.

“I think middle school was the last time I did it,” he said. “We practice it every week, and I’m like, ‘We’re not going to call this.’ Surely enough, he called it.”

Mateer nailed it, and a play later, Markus Strong brought down Matt Fuller in the end zone for a safety.

“That’s the most high-fives I got on the sideline,” Mateer said.

But while it was a fun moment, and certainly one with impact, the way Mateer threw, ran and led his team was the most impactful things about his Saturday.

“Every quarterback’s gonna have some moments they’d like to give back,” Venables said. “And heavy is the crown goes to that position, and he’s exactly who I thought he was. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s got all the right stuff, the guts, the toughness, the humility. But you don’t handle that moment without humility.”