Oklahoma QB John Mateer Will Trust 'Same Process' to Prep for 'Real Physical' Michigan

NORMAN — John Mateer enjoyed his record-setting Oklahoma debut, but the competition is about to take a huge step up.

The No. 18-ranked Sooners host No. 14 Michigan next week, and the eyes of the college football world will turn to Norman for the second-ever meeting between the college football blue bloods.

Mateer played Washington in the Apple Cup last year at Washington State and Ashton Jeanty’s Boise State team that eventually made the College Football Playoff, but he’s never run onto the field to lead his team against a group of the caliber of Michigan.

Playing in a game that will be featured on ESPN's "College GameDay" is the dream for every player, but Mateer isn’t going to make the matchup with the Wolverines any bigger than it has to be.

Oklahoma Sooners, John Matee — John Mateer celebrates with center Troy Everett (52) after an Oklahoma touchdown against Illinois State. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Preparation’s the same no matter the opponent. Same process,” Mateer said after the 35-3 win over Illinois State. “We obviously don’t have like two weeks and then a week in fall camp like we did last week to prepare for Illinois State, but we’ve got [a week] to prepare and we’ll start tomorrow watching film every morning and at night and having a good practice week.”

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has no concerns about how Mateer will approach the week following his 30-for-37 passing performance that yielded 392 yards and three scores through the air.

“John’s an individual who’s really true to his process,” Arbuckle said. “He’s going to go to work for Michigan the same way he went to work for Illinois State. The same way that he went to work for teams last year. He’s true to his process.

“He knows what it takes for himself to be prepared and for the offense to be prepared. He’d be doing everyone a disservice if he wasn’t true to himself and true to his process.”

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Regardless of how he treats the preparation this week, Mateer has never played a defense as talented as Michigan’s in his career as a collegiate starter.

But he’s not going into this weekend’s battle blind.

Practicing against Oklahoma’s defense every day throughout spring practice and fall camp allowed him to get acclimated to the size and speed that Michigan will bring to the table on Saturday night.

“It’s a good team and they’re real physical up front,” Mateer said. “… They play with a lot of pride. It’s a blue-collar program and we’re excited.”

The excitement in Norman will be palpable this week, as is always the case in the lead-up to a big game for the Sooners. But Arbuckle trusts his quarterback to attack each day of practice with the proper intensity.

“He’s a guy that brings it every day. He’s a guy that’s consistent in his work ethic and his mindset every single day,” Arbuckle said. “Everyone on the team, every coach in the building, knows what they can expect from John Mateer every day.

“So whenever you have a mentality like that, and you have clout like that in the building and with the team, it kind of sets the tone every day, because you know No. 10’s going to bring it every day.”