Facing a critical third down, Oklahoma had the ball with a chance to take the lead. The Sooners called a timeout just to make sure they were in exactly the right call and that there were no miscommunications.
Sooners quarterback John Mateer dropped back and surveyed the field. He identified Trell Haris coming out of a break upfield, pumping and then throwing the ball downfield for a potential first down. The pass was awful, floating behind Harris and picked off by Jyaire Hill and returned into the red zone.
Michigan scored to take a 17-10 lead, which they would not surrender as the No. 11 Sooners lost a stunner in Ann Arbor. One week after Michigan needed a Hail Mary to escape Western Michigan, the Wolverines dropped the Sooners out of national relevance.
Mateer was a massive transfer, the No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 class when he arrived in Norman. He was tasked with rebuilding a faltering Sooners offense that imploded over multiple years under coach Brent Venables. During Oklahoma’s deflating loss to Michigan, Mateer’s flaws were put on full display.
Mateer was miserable in the first half. The senior completed only 7 of 16 passes for 52 yards, with 21 yards on the ground. He missed passes high and low. He made bad reads and worse decisions.
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle did a solid job making his job easier in the second half, leaning on tight ends and the quarterback run, including a few big passes to tight end Rocky Beers. But in the final deciding sequence of the game, Mateer completed just 1 of 8 passes for 3 yards with an interception. Only two of his 10 pass attempts to wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III were caught.
Granted, Michigan’s defense wasn’t the problem in their controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan. The Wolverines allowed only 89 yards passing and 2.9 yards per carry. They just couldn’t get the Broncos off the field because of Michigan’s own miserable offense.
And specifically, Michigan blanketed Oklahoma’s receivers. Tight end Rocky Beers was the only pass-catcher with more than 43 yards. Sategna was blanketed for only two catches for nine yards. But while the receivers didn’t separate well enough, Mateer’s inaccuracy has been a trend.
Since returning from a hand surgery last season, Mateer has completed only 59% of his passes against power conference competition. He had a paltry 6.8 yards per pass attempt when not blitzed, underscoring how much he struggles to get through his progressions. He had the second-highest turnover-worthy play rate among those with at least 450 dropbacks.
And as teams figure out Mateer, Oklahoma’s offense has faltered. The Sooners averaged just 21.5 points per game down the stretch, even including a four-game winning streak to close the year. It’s become the tired trope of a defensive head coach who just can’t figure out offense.
Of course, there are plenty of other issues facing Oklahoma’s offense. The Sooners have been undergoing a multiyear rebuild on the offensive line, and the results have been lackluster. Arbuckle gets too pass-happy, and only attempted to run the ball 13 times with running backs in 62 plays. While Michigan created plenty of issues with its defensive line, the complete lack of trust in the standard run game is tough for any quarterback to overcome.
But after yet another lackluster performance, even after an offseason of healing, Oklahoma has a John Mateer problem. With No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Texas coming in the next month — plus No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas A&M late in the year — this could quickly spiral into another lackluster season for Venables.
