The Moments That Shaped Oklahoma’s Sloppy Win Against New Mexico

A win is a win. But No. 24 Oklahoma’s victory over New Mexico on Saturday was a forgettable one.

OU coach Brent Venables called his team’s 14-6 win over the Lobos “ugly” during his postgame press conference. The Sooners turned the ball over three times in the first half and logged only 299 offensive yards.

Oklahoma is now 2-1 after beating the Lobos, but the competition only gets stiffer from here on out — the Sooners face No. 2 Georgia next week before battling No. 1 Texas two weeks later.

Here are the moments that defined OU’s win over New Mexico:

Oklahoma Sooners, John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer passes against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico Lobos, Tavian Combs — New Mexico's Tavian Combs celebrates after intercepting Oklahoma's John Mateer. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

It took only three plays for the fans at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to boo the offense. Quarterback John Mateer threw an off-balanced interception into the hands of UNM defensive back Tavian Combs on third-and-long.

Oklahoma Sooners, James Nesta — Oklahoma linebacker James Nesta tackles New Mexico's Deshaun Buchanan. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s defense got off to a better start than its offense. Adepoju Adebawore sacked UNM quarterback Toa Fa’avae on the Lobos’ first offensive play. Two downs later, James Nesta made a tackle to force a New Mexico punt.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jonathan Hatton Jr. — Oklahoma running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. carries against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

On the second drive, OU moved the chains for the first time, as Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna for an 11-yard reception. That drive, however, stalled after back-to-back rushes for loss.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jacobe Johnson — Oklahoma defensive back Jacobe Johnson fights for a ball with a New Mexico player. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico Lobos, Eric McClain — New Mexico's Eric McClain celebrates after recovering a fumble against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s defense again held strong on its next series and forced another three-and-out. But Sategna muffed the ensuing punt, and the Lobos recovered with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

Oklahoma Sooners, Peyton Bowen — Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen competes against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU defensive back Peyton Bowen broke up Fa’avae’s pass on the first play of UNM’s drive, dropping what would have likely been a pick-six. Still, that pass breakup was critical in keeping the Lobos behind the sticks, and they once again punted after only three plays.

The Sooners finally got the ball moving on their third drive. Mateer found Sategna for a 14-yard completion for a first down before the quarterback used his legs to move the chains again.

Oklahoma Sooners, Hayden Hansen — Oklahoma tight end Hayden Hansen tries to break free against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Later on the drive, OU broke the scoreless stalemate. Tight end Hayden Hansen surged through multiple defenders on his way to the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown reception with 13:49 left in the second quarter.

New Mexico Lobos, Cade Keith — New Mexico tight end Cade Keith breaks free against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico Lobos, Grant Glasgow — New Mexico kicker Grant Glasgow attempts a field goal against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico and Oklahoma traded punts after Hansen’s touchdown. The Lobos then finally put together a quality drive. Fa’avae connected with tight end Cade Keith for a 40-yard gain. UNM’s drive stalled, but the Lobos still got a field goal to get on the scoreboard.

New Mexico Lobos — New Mexico players celebrate after getting an interception against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU’s offense put the Lobos into scoring position shortly after the field goal. Mateer threw his second interception of the day on a pass that floated in between Xavier Robinson and Parker Livingstone.

New Mexico Lobos, James Laubstein — New Mexico quarterback James Laubstein passes against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, David Stone — Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone celebrates after a sack against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico got down to OU’s 9-yard line. But a false start and a sack from David Stone forced the Lobos to attempt another field goal, which they connected on.

Oklahoma Sooners, Rocky Beers — Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers gets tackled against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Tate Sandell — Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell prepares to attempt a field goal against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma got the ball back with 1:43 left in the first half and got a drive going — but poor clock management kept the Sooners from scoring. OU called back-to-back run plays with no timeouts, and Mateer spiked the ball with three seconds left to set up a field-goal attempt for Tate Sandell. Sandell, however, missed his 41-yard field-goal attempt, and the Sooners took a 7-6 lead into halftime.

Oklahoma Sooners, Reggie Powers III — Oklahoma defensive back Reggie Powers III sacks New Mexico's Luke Moga. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico got the ball to start the second half. The Lobos went for it on fourth-and-1 on their own 44-yard line, and the Sooners appeared to have UNM’s ball carrier stopped for a loss — but Reggie Powers III missed an open-field tackle and New Mexico converted. Powers, though, redeemed himself on the next play with a sack that set UNM back 13 yards. The Lobos eventually punted.

Oklahoma Sooners, Isaiah Sategna — Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna breaks free for a touchdown against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Sategna showed off his wheels on OU’s first drive of the second half. Mateer found him wide open down the field for a 53-yard touchdown reception to give OU a 14-6 lead. After the game, Mateer said he knew that Sategna was open because of the roar from the crowd.

Oklahoma Sooners, Adepoju Adebawore — New Mexico quarterback Toa Fa'avae passes as Oklahoma's Adepoju Adebawore pressures. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Owen Heinecke — Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke sacks New Mexico's Toa Fa'avae. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Lobos, however, didn’t go away easily. Fa’avae found running back Kiefer Sibley for 20 yards as UNM got the ball into OU territory. Owen Heinecke, though, helped stall the drive with a sack. The Lobos punted with 2:30 left in the third quarter.

Tight end Rocky Beers caught a 22-yard pass on OU’s ensuing drive to get the ball near midfield. But a negative rush from Jonathan Hatton Jr. and an incompletion from Mateer ended OU’s chance.

Oklahoma Sooners, Grayson Miller — Oklahoma's Grayson Miller punts against New Mexico. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New Mexico couldn’t make anything happen after the Sooners stalled at midfield, as the Lobos went three-and-out. But OU responded with a three-and-out of its own, thanks to three penalties.

New Mexico Lobos, Toa Fa'avae — New Mexico quarterback Toa Fa'avae rushes for a first down against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

With 10:32 remaining, the Lobos retained possession. The Lobos looked dead in the water on multiple occasions — but Fa’avae channeled his inner Lamar Jackson and logged runs of 13 and 22 yards to keep UNM alive. OU cornerback Eli Bowen was also called for a pass interference later on the drive to put the Lobos further into OU territory.

Oklahoma Sooners — A group of Oklahoma players stuffs New Mexico running back Scottre Humphrey. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Finally, the Sooners stopped the threat. Stone stuffed New Mexico running back Scottre Humphrey on fourth-and-2, giving OU possession with 2:57 left.

The Sooners still needed a couple of first downs to ice their win, as UNM had one timeout with the two-minute timeout looming. Mateer used his legs to move the chains for a first down with two minutes left. Running back Lloyd Avant then rushed for five yards before Mateer connected with Sategna for nine yards to clinch the win.

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