Column: Why 'Willing' QB John Mateer Will Continue to Carry Oklahoma's Run Game

Brent Venables didn’t care much for the question on Saturday night.

But Tuesday at his weekly press conference, he seemed more tolerant.

How does he feel about quarterback John Mateer having to run the football 19 times in Saturday’s 24-13 win over Michigan?

“How I feel about it?,” Venables echoed. “I thought he did great. Is that what you want every single week from your quarterback? Probably not good for his health long term.”

My question to Oklahoma’s head coach after beating Michigan was not quite as open-ended:

Was this just one of those nights that your quarterback has to carry the football 19 times?

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know,” Venables said in his postgame press conference. "We did what we needed to do to win."

Mateer has been masterful. Through two games, the Sooners’ dual-threat QB ranks No. 2 in the nation in total offense at 380 yards per game. He’s also second with 97 total offensive plays.

He’s 28th in completion percentage (.718), 33rd in passer efficiency rating (163.1), 34th in passing touchdowns (34), sixth in passing yards (331.0 per game), and seventh in points responsible for (42).

Yet, there are two things about Mateer being so busy — having to carry so much of Oklahoma’s offensive work load — that are not ideal.

One was broached early in Tuesday’s presser.

What’s your plan for backup Michael Hawkins?

With Mateer taking such a physical pounding against the Wolverines — he did some of what Blake Bell used to do in the ground game, diving into a pileup in short-yardage situations, and he said he’s been talking to running backs coach DeMarco Murray (second in school history with 759 career rushing attempts) about recovery techniques he used when he played — Venables and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle need to have a solid plan in place for Hawkins.

Venables revealed that ideally, Hawkins can redshirt this season and maintain a year of eligibility. The sophomore who last year backed up Jackson Arnold, then took the starting job, then lost it again, then started the bowl game after Arnold transferred, is being prepared to play a full game or more, just in case.

“You’d like to think that you could control that, and we certainly could,” Venables said, “but we might pigeonhole ourselves, too. So we’re preparing him every single week like he’s a guy that’s got to go in and take 70 or 80 snaps.

“And until our hand is forced, we’re not at liberty to (say), ‘Hey, let’s just get him in for a few series here.’ And so I’m trying to think both short-term and long-term. I would hate to burn his (redshirt) year unnecessarily. So I think that the course of the season will kind of work itself out, but we’re going to be very mindful not burning his year before we have to.”

The other side of the coin is that Mateer running the football so much is that it’s just plain necessary.

Coaches call it a “plus-one” situation, where instead of handing off to the running back and just watching the play unfold, the running back becomes an extra blocker for the quarterback. It’s always been a thing for mobile quarterbacks in college, and in recent years has become more prevalent in the NFL.

But the reality is that if an offense had the ability to run the football effectively when it needs to, then the QB run game becomes more of an element of surprise, rather than a desperate tactic.

But right now, going into Saturday’s road test at Temple, Oklahoma’s conventional run game isn’t very good.

Saturday against the Wolverines, Mateer led the Sooner ground attack by a lot: 19 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Tory Blaylock was next with 24 yards on nine carries. Senior Jovantae Barnes had 24 yards on six carries. And transfer Jaydn Ott had 9 yards on four carries.

Through two games, Mateer leads the team with 26 rushing attempts for 98 net yards, while Blaylock has carried 17 times for 66 yards (3.9 average), Barnes 13 for 33 (2.5), Xavier Robinson eight for 17 (2.1) and Ott five for 6 (1.2).

Clearly, while Arbuckle and the offensive line continue to figure things out in the running game, Mateer is going to have to be that guy.

“If you have a guy back there who can’t run, you don’t force a square peg through a round circle,” Venables said. “But you look at every good offense, that’s what they’re doing. Whether it’s what they’re doing in Washington in the NFL, or the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens or the Kansas City Chiefs. Philadelphia Eagles, who just won the Super Bowl.

“You just go down the list of the last several national championships in college football whether it’s Cam Newton, Florida with Tim Tebow, there’s a formula. You’re going to find really good defenses, so how can you get a plus one? The trump card, if you will. Did I see that on film? Yeah, I saw that, but I think most modern offenses are doing it to some degree … There’s a risk involved as well, and you’ve got to be prepared to live with that, too.”

Oklahoma's 2019 conference championship was built on Jalen Hurts' legs as much as his arm.

Saturday night, Mateer walked into the postgame interview room a little slow, deliberate, clearly a bit sore after plunging so many times into the teeth of a pretty fearsome Michigan defense.

“I got hit a little bit, sometimes. I should probably chill out. Protect my body,” he said. “But it was fun. I knew that’s what it was going to take to win.”

“I’m just trying to win the ballgame, and John’s a willing runner,” Arbuckle said Saturday. “He understands what it takes to win. So there was definitely designed QB runs in the game. But at the end of the day, you’re just trying to win the football game. John Mateer’s willing, he knows how to protect himself. Probably took a big hit or two tonight, but all for the good of the team.”

“As the game was going and as we were getting the plus-one run game, they’re really good up front, so you’ve just gotta do it,” Mateer said. “It was working, so we’re gonna keep doing it.”

During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Arbuckle expounded on Mateer’s “willingness” to carry the mail and how it changes his own approach as a play caller.

“Whenever you have a guy who has the ability to do that,” Arbuckle said, “and he’s a willing runner to do that and understands moments and situations and what it takes to win, it broadens what you can call in certain situations to try to put stress on the defense any which way.”

There’s actually a third element at play behind Mateer’s designed run plays: he’s really good at it.

“He’s a real weapon in running the ball,” Venables said. “He … has really good instincts as a runner. Great lateral quickness. Ability to change direction He’s an explosive runner. Very efficient.

“He’s got to do a good job not taking too many shots. Goes with the territory. He’s built strong. He’s really compact, so he can absorb some hits. It’s a real weapon. Keeps defenses in a really tough predicament, because he can throw the ball (and) has great ability there as well.”