Joel Klatt says major college football program can’t win without Superman-level play

Joel Klatt says Oklahoma’s title hopes rest entirely on quarterback John Mateer carrying an unbalanced offense through a demanding SEC stretch.

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt believes Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer must play like Superman to avoid losses because of Sooners' difficult remaining schedule. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When the Oklahoma Sooners lost 23-6 to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry, the game exposed every weakness that Joel Klatt had been warning about. The Fox Sports analyst revisited his long-standing skepticism on his The Joel Klatt Show, explaining why quarterback John Mateer must be extraordinary every week for Oklahoma to have any chance of staying in the playoff race.

Klatt said Oklahoma’s offensive structure leaves no room for error. The Sooners have a defense he “really likes,” but not one that measures up to the elite units at Texas, Ohio State, or even Indiana. More than anything, Klatt pointed to a lack of balance.

Without a functional running game, every drive and every outcome depends on Mateer’s ability to carry the offense. His struggles against Texas were costly. Mateer completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and threw three interceptions in his return from hand surgery. Texas dominated the second half, and Oklahoma never found rhythm.

Klatt’s main point was blunt: “If Mateer is not Superman in any of these games, they’ll lose. Maybe they can beat South Carolina with an average Mateer performance. I don’t think they can beat any of those other five teams with an average Mateer performance.”

Oklahoma’s One-Dimensional Offense A Cause For Concern

Klatt emphasized that his concerns about Oklahoma’s construction have persisted for months. He said the Sooners “can’t run the football” and have “all their eggs in one basket.” That imbalance, combined with a tough schedule, leaves Mateer with almost no margin for error. Oklahoma’s next six opponents—South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU—include five teams currently ranked in the top 16.

“If your quarterback is just off a little bit, then it’s going to be really difficult the rest of the way,” Klatt said. He also called Oklahoma’s remaining slate “the most difficult in the entire country.”

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) struggled to find a rhythm against Texas, completing 52.6% of his passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His comments came after Mateer’s return from a surgically repaired throwing hand that required just 17 days of recovery. The quarterback insisted after the loss that his hand was fine and took responsibility for his play, saying, “I just didn’t play good enough.”

Texas outgained Oklahoma 375-258 and controlled the line of scrimmage throughout. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said afterward, “We saw the true character of the men in that locker room,” praising his team’s response after a tough week. The Longhorns improved to 4-2, while Oklahoma dropped to 5-1.

Oklahoma Football's Pressure Now Falls on John Mateer

Oklahoma has become too dependent on its quarterback. Mateer’s presence alone changes the Sooners’ ceiling, but when he struggles, the offense falls apart. The Sooners ran for just 41 yards on 17 plays against Texas, leaving Mateer responsible for 52 of Oklahoma’s 69 offensive snaps. As Klatt put it, the team’s structure “forces him to put on a cape.”

Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has faced criticism for abandoning the run game early and leaning entirely on Mateer’s passing and improvisation. That approach worked earlier in the season when Mateer played efficiently, but it unraveled against Texas’s top-tier defense led by edge rusher Colin Simmons, who sacked Mateer five times.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables must find to build an offensive attack not completely reliant on quarterback John Mateer. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even so, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said he remains confident in his quarterback. “He epitomizes guts and toughness,” Venables said. “You really find out about people when things aren’t going well, and I’ve got incredible faith and belief and confidence in every one of those guys.”

The Sooners will travel to face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.