Oklahoma QB John Mateer on Sooners' Offense: 'We Can Get A Lot Better'

While the Sooners are fresh off big wins over Alabama and Tennessee, John Mateer acknowledged that OU's offense must improve.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has long dreamed of opportunities like the ones that await him.

Mateer has led the Sooners to back-to-back road wins at Alabama and Tennessee, and OU now sits at 8-2. Oklahoma will almost certainly move up from its current position in the College Football Playoff rankings — No. 11 — when the latest rankings are unveiled on Tuesday.

The Sooners have just two games remaining in the regular season — home tests against Missouri and LSU. If they win those contests, they’ll secure an at-large spot in the CFP.

“One of my old strength coaches texted me today and was like, ‘If 5-year-old John Mateer would have told you that you've done all this in a year, what would he say?’” Mateer said. “I think about that sometimes; I'm very grateful for where I am and what I get to do.”

While Mateer acknowledged that it’s surreal to live out his childhood dreams, the quarterback knows that it’s important not to get carried away: There are still games to play.

“I still have to go do it,” Mateer said. “I have perspective, but it's not like I'm sitting looking back. We still have stuff to do in the future.”

The Sooners have won three of their last four SEC games, but their defense and special teams units have been far more dominant than their offense.

OU is averaging just 299.8 total yards of offense since Mateer’s return from injury on Oct. 11.

“We can get a lot better,” Mateer said. “We have to do better at extending drives.”

Most recently, Oklahoma compiled only 212 offensive yards against the Crimson Tide, and a 20-yard rush from Mateer marked the Sooners’ only offensive touchdown of the game. But thanks to three takeaways — one being a pick six from Eli Bowen — and three made field goals from kicker Tate Sandell, the Sooners earned the win.

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But Mateer knows that he must do a better job at commanding OU’s offense to keep winning.

“We obviously left a lot of meat on the bone (against Alabama),” Mateer said. “We did enough to win, but there's always more.”

Though Oklahoma barely eclipsed 200 offensive yards, the Sooners played efficient football. They didn’t turn the ball over, and that loomed large in a game decided by only two points.

Mateer said a key to getting into a better offensive rhythm will be to find a balance between playing mistake-free football and also taking shots.

“I think there's spots that I can be more aggressive in a way,” Mateer said. “I still have to be really smart.”

Oklahoma is two wins away from its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019. But the Sooners will need to play much smoother offense to both make the CFP and make a run if they get there.

Mateer believes that blocking out any noise — or emotions that arise from the position that they’re in — is the key to improving on offense.

“It's just discipline,” Mateer said. “You can stop yourself from thinking certain things and not get carried away. I have to keep it up and go play ball.”