With John Mateer leading Oklahoma offense, it feels like 2015 all over again for Sooner fans

Buck Ringgold

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With John Mateer leading Oklahoma offense, it feels like 2015 all over again for Sooner fans image

In the second game of the season, and in his second game with the program, an Oklahoma quarterback had a national coming-out party.

A Sooners’ quarterback who transferred from another school. A native of Texas who had been told he wasn’t good enough to play for most of the major schools in the country.

He was joined at the hip by a new offensive coordinator, a young one at that, hired to rejuvenate a fading power. Together, they did just that, bringing the Sooners back to national title contention.

But exactly 10 years ago, not many people had heard of the Sooners’ plucky new quarterback, a transfer from Texas Tech named Baker Mayfield. Nor were they familiar with the new offensive coordinator, someone imported from East Carolina. Guy by the name of Lincoln Riley.

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That is, until the Sooners’ second game of the season, when Mayfield helped orchestrate a memorable comeback when Oklahoma - which was down two scores in the fourth quarter at Tennessee - rallied to force overtime and eventually win.

It became a springboard to the Sooners eventually reaching the College Football Playoff, which they also did for three of the next four seasons. Mayfield became a Heisman Trophy winner and an OU icon, and Riley eventually ascended to the head coaching job when Bob Stoops retired. Of course, Riley later became anathema to many Sooner fans with his sudden departure to USC in 2021, but I digress.

Saturday night, a familiar scene unfolded in Norman. In just his second game, Oklahoma’s new quarterback, a native of Little Elm, Texas, and a transfer from Washington State who possesses moxie, leadership and a chip-on-the-shoulder mentality reminiscent of Mayfield, made his presence known before a national television audience against an established power.

And it was a chance for the entire nation to see the Sooners’ first-year 29-year-old offensive coordinator, like Riley a West Texas native.

They definitely didn’t disappoint, as quarterback John Mateer and first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle - who coached Mateer last season at Washington State - made their presence felt in Oklahoma’s 24-13 win against Michigan.

John Mateer leads Oklahoma over Michigan: What to know about the Sooner QB and his big night 

A year ago, the Sooners were beset by injuries and inconsistency. It led to an eventual 6-7 record, the second time in three seasons they achieved such a feat.

The arrival of both Arbuckle and Mateer was part of an offseason shift in which OU also brought on board a new general manager and head coach Brent Venables regaining control of the defense.

Through two games this year, the Sooners indeed look like a much different team. In last week's opening-game win against Illinois State, Mateer threw for 392 yards - breaking Mayfield's record for the most yards thrown by an OU QB in his first game.

A tone was set from the opening drive, when Oklahoma used up exactly five minutes to go 75 yards in 12 plays.

Mateer made a third-down throw that tight end Jaren Kanak grabbed with one hand, moving the chains. Mateer also moved the chains on a fourth-down keeper and finished things off with a pop pass to Deion Burks - one of those injured Sooners last season - who took it 9 yards to the house.

Burks, a Michigan native who was not heavily recruited by the Wolverines and used this game as motivation, ended up catching seven passes for 101 yards.

Mateer continued to make plays the rest of the night, both with his feet and with his arm. He got out of a few potential sacks, notably a third-down pass to Isaiah Sategna that set up OU’s third TD.

Then, with OU hanging on to a one-possession lead, the Sooners put together a fantastic 16-play drive that took nearly 8:30 off the clock. The end result was a field goal with 1:44 remaining that, for all intents and purposes, iced the win.

OU's defense also has to be given its props, as the Sooners fairly made life miserable for Michigan wunderkind quarterback Bryce Underwood. He was held to 9-of-24 passing for 142 yards and minus-1 yard running the ball. Venables and his staff have put together a defense capable of being one of the best in the SEC when it's all said and done.

As for Mateer, he finished with 270 yards on 21-of-34 passing and a TD, and was the team’s leading rusher (more on that later) with 74 yards on a whopping 19 carries and two TDs.

And after seeing what Mateer, Arbuckle and company did against a very solid Michigan defense, who’s to say why can’t Oklahoma be a major player, not just in the SEC but the whole country in ’25.

It still might be a bit early to label the Sooners bona-fide favorites to make it to Atlanta to play for the SEC title. After all, they still do have to play an unforgiving schedule, arguably the league’s hardest.

But some other SEC teams are showing a few flaws. Aside from a four-TD explosion in a span of less than five minutes earlier on Saturday, the jury’s still out on Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Alabama had a nice bounce-back win, but coach Kalen DeBoer hasn’t been fully embraced by Tide faithful. Then, is Jackson Arnold, last year’s OU signal-caller and a scapegoat for the Sooners’ woes in ’24, fully revived at Auburn?

Of course, OU still has a few flaws. The Sooners still need to establish a running game. There were a few miscues on special teams. They had a chance to really put away Michigan sooner (no pun intended) than they did.

But the Sooners (and Brent Venables) certainly isn’t going to throw this win back. And a few more performances like that from Mateer and Arbuckle, then this could really feel like 10 years ago when Mayfield and Riley teamed up to help OU regain its elite status.

 

Buck Ringgold

Buck Ringgold has been covering high school sports for more than 25 years. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas and is a die-hard Texas Rangers fan.