Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen Believes John Mateer 'Needs His Swagger Back'

The Sooner captain sees a different John Mateer in practice and knows he capable of being that player on Saturdays again.

Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen runs onto the field before facing New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Peyton Bowen knows the spot his quarterback is currently in. Bowen draws from personal experience seeing a teammate and friend going through what John Mateer has gone through over the last few weeks.

"I've seen it first hand in my own household when Jackson (Arnold) was here," Bowen said Wednesday after practice. "That's hard for someone to go through."

Bowen, who was Arnold's teammate during their prep days at John H. Guyer High School and his roommate during their first two seasons in Norman, doesn't wish for anyone — let alone Mateer — to go through what he saw Arnold go through.

"I was in the house with Jackson," he said. "Being his friend from high school and seeing how much he was on a pedestal to just having tomatoes thrown at him."

Comparisons between Arnold and Mateer have materialized in the wake of Oklahoma's 41-13 loss to Georgia. Like Arnold's 2024 outing against Tennessee that saw him get benched after three first half turnovers, Mateer's three turnovers in Athens were loud and hard to watch.

Unlike Arnold, Mateer kept his starting job and has maintained it during bye week preparation according to Brent Venables.

Over the last two seasons, Bowen has observed Mateer as a talented player with great potential. He routinely makes throws into tight windows at practice and has a great command of his deep ball. Mateer even makes it difficult for defenders like Bowen to pinpoint where he intends to throw the ball.

But now, Mateer appears bogged down by his own mistakes off the practice field. Bowen and Mateer are neighbors, so the star safety has made an effort to check on his quarterback to ensure he isn't home alone "(sitting) there with his own thoughts."

Peyton Bowen shared a great deal of insight about John Mateer's mindset, his own personal experience seeing his former teammate/roommate Jackson Arnold deal with criticism & mistakes and how the #Sooners quarterback simply needs "to get his swagger back." pic.twitter.com/mQvqR4KrOR

— Brady Trantham (@BradyDoesSports) October 1, 2026

As a captain and a teammate, Bowen feels a responsibility to help lift up his quarterback so that he can translate his practice play to games.

"I think he needs to get his swagger back," Bowen said. "When he came here he was that guy from that transfer portal. He needs to get that mojo back, that swagger. He just needs to make the plays. I know the type of player that he is."

While he stays off social media, Bowen is aware of the harsh criticism and insults lobbed at Mateer describing it as something that can be "mentally draining" for a player.

"I don't think people know the effect words that they're saying," he said. "He's a human being. I've seen what he's going through, so I hope the best for him."

Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen stands on the field after facing New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Priority one for Oklahoma is to get the player Bowen sees at practice onto the field on Saturdays. Mateer is a different player in practice than he has been on the field over the last three weeks. Bowen chalked it up to his quarterback seeing practice as a "safe place."

How do Mateer's teammates help him get back to translate practice play to game day? A simple reminder.

"He's still a leader, still a captain. Getting his confidence and his mojo back, I feel like is the biggest part," Bowen said. "He has all the intangibles. He's a great leader, great teammate, great ball player. He just has to get out of his own head."

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