Oklahoma finding balance, needs John Mateer to keep improving

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The Oklahoma Sooners have an opportunity to turn the 2025 season into a special one with three games remaining. Winning out and finishing 10-2 would put Oklahoma into the College Football Playoff. It'll be a tough task, starting with the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend in Tuscaloosa.

The Sooners have everything in front of them, but will need the offense to play its best football of the season over the final three weeks to reach the playoff. And that starts with quarterback John Mateer.

Mateer opened the season hot, averaging 350 total yards per game through the Sooners' first four contests, which included top 25 wins over Michigan and Auburn. But after Mateer was injured in the win over Auburn, he's struggled to find the same level of production. He looked more comfortable in the Sooners' win over Tennessee.

While Oklahoma has found more balance with the emergence of Xavier Robinson and the Sooners' running game, the season hinges on Mateer's ability to come through in key situations. He wasn't able to with the game on the line against Ole Miss, but showed improved decision-making in the second half of the Sooners' win over Tennessee. Now, Oklahoma's starting quarterback will need to take his game to another level against an Alabama offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Ty Simpson, and a Crimson Tide secondary that may be the best in the nation.

To prepare for the Crimson Tide and OU's final stretch, Mateer spent the bye week looking back to see where he can improve.

"It's a couple of extra practices to get more reps. I got good reps last week," Mateer said. "Then, also to settle in and watch film and not have to perform the next week, I can focus and self-scout a little bit and see what I really need to work on."

The Sooners success isn't all on Mateer's shoulders. They have a defense that will play winning football. They've found a running game that can provide balance. But there will be third downs, red zone opportunities, and late-game situations where they'll need Mateer to come through. If he does, the Sooners will have a shot to upset the Crimson Tide. If not, they'll be fighting for their playoff lives and likely need a lot of help to make the 12-team field.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: John Mateer spends bye week looking for improvement

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