Film Room: What is Going On With John Mateer, And How Can Texas Exploit it?

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to their worst start since the Covid-addled 2020 season, dropping games to the Michigan Wolverines and No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

The offense, quarterback John Mateer in particular, has been a major issue for the 2-2 squad. Mateer was once the third-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal but is following a shaky 2025 campaign with an almost disastrous 2026 season.

So, what is going wrong? Here is why the Sooners' once touted passer is struggling, and how the No. 1 Texas Longhorns can take advantage of him in tomorrow's Red River Rivalry.

What is Going Wrong?

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer carries the ball during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the New Mexico Lobos at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mateer's number one issue this season is simple: he lacks trust. He does not have faith in the rest of Oklahoma's offense to do its job when the time comes.

Take this play for example:

On this 4th-and-one, Oklahoma uses an orbit motion to pull the defense's attention to the left so that they can run an "RB fast-to-flat" concept back to the right. Mateer is going to boot out after faking a handoff and immediately look to hit his running back in the flat.

Oklahoma gets exactly the look they want, with Georgia's linebacker biting down on Mateer and leaving the running back open. Despite this, Mateer does not trust his guy to get the first down.

Instead, he slows down, looks toward the middle of the field and attempts to shake the linebacker. He succeeds, which gives him the opportunity to hit his receiver who is settling into open space north of the first-down marker.

However, he inexplicably does not throw to him either, instead choosing to pull the ball down to try and make something happen. It goes as badly as it could.

Mateer had two opportunities to give his guys a chance to get just one yard for a drive-extending first down, but could not bring himself to put faith in his weapons either time. This is despite the fact that, according to Pro Football Focus, the Sooners are yet to drop a pass this season.

As little as he trusts other Sooners, he may trust his own eyes even less. This play serves as a great example:

Michigan is showing a single high-safety look with both of its outside corners lined up with their eyes and hips facing the quarterback, indicating that they are in zone coverage. This tells Mateer to expect some form of cover three, a coverage for which he has the perfect route combination for on the wide side of the field.

The outside receiver is running a vertical route that bends across the face of the outside cornerback with the option to curl back to the passer at a depth of 15 yards, while the slot receiver is running a fade.

As the play develops, Michigan shows that they are playing a pattern-matching variation of cover three, making the outside corner effectively responsible for man coverage on the outside receiver and the slot cornerback a man defender on the slot fade. It also leaves the outside cornerback completely out-leveraged against the bender.

Yet, Mateer does not throw the ball. This could be because he is waiting for the slot receiver to gain a step on his man as a slot fade against press-man coverage is a favorable look for the offense, though he should still be able to recognize the open man he is looking at.

His slot receiver does eventually gain a step on his defender, yet Mateer still does not throw it. Instead, from a clean pocket, he checks down to his running back.

Mateer being unable to rip the ball to two open receivers whom he expected to be open based on the pre-snap look shows a complete lack of confidence in himself and his ability to see the defense.

There are more plays like this where he does not throw to receivers who have out-leveraged or out-routed their defenders, and Mateer's tendency to do so makes offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's job that much more difficult.

The numbers, according to PFF, say that Mateer is a dramatically worse player when under pressure but actually a better one when getting blitzed. This is because committing extra guys to the pass rush makes it easier for him to find pass catchers on the back end, a boon for a passer who struggles to read coverage.

Drop Backs	Passing Grade	Completion Percentage	Yards Per Attempt	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Kept Clean	68.5	71.4%	8.4	6	2
Under Pressure	29.4	50%	7.4	2	2
Not Blitzed	48.4	62.9%	5.9	1	3
When Blitzed	59	68.1%	11	7	1

*There is overlap between drop backs (i.e. some blitzed drop backs were also ones where Mateer was under pressure, some where he was kept clean)

So, if Texas wants to beat a floundering Mateer, its best bet is to let him make the mistakes. The Longhorns have had plenty of success generating pressure while rushing four, and their ability to do so on Saturday will give them the best chance of preventing the Sooners from scoring a touchdown for a third straight season.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google