Five things to watch for Oklahoma vs. New Mexico as the Sooners prepare for No. 2 Georgia, No. 1 Texas

Five things to watch for Oklahoma vs. New Mexico as the Sooners prepare for No. 2 Georgia, No. 1 Texas

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Five things to watch for Oklahoma vs. New Mexico as the Sooners prepare for No. 2 Georgia, No. 1 Texas
John Mateer

Five things to watch for Oklahoma vs. New Mexico as the Sooners prepare for No. 2 Georgia, No. 1 Texas originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma's non-conference matchup with New Mexico on Saturday night is much more important to the Sooners' future than it might appear on the surface.

At first glance, it might seem like an easy bounce back opportunity from last week's 17-10 loss at Michigan that dropped them to No. 24 in the Associated Press poll.

But there's much more at stake here. This is Oklahoma's last game before a grueling back-to-back — at No. 2 Georgia next week and in Dallas against No. 1 Texas two weeks later. That means time is of the essence when it comes to getting things right.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he doesn't want to get to far ahead of himself. New Mexico is 2-0 and received four votes in the USA Today coaches poll. And though the Lobos are more than three-touchdown underdogs, they have averaged 54 points and 412 yards in their first two games this season under coach Jason Eck.

"I know what's down the road, and so do our guys," Venables said. "But you just kind of put it all into what you're doing right now. New Mexico is the next one in front of us, and so (we should) recognize the challenge of all of it. It's to get your guys to show up every day and put everything they've got in the moment."

Venables hopes the Sooners can turn the problems against Michigan into lessons they carry forward. He's interested in how they approach New Mexico.

"These tough, challenging moments, they do reveal the character, the toughness, the leadership, the maturity of our team," he said. "Anybody can be committed when everything is going right. That was a real test of who our guys are. The response will show whether our commitment's conditional."

Here are the things to watch as Oklahoma faces the Lobos and prepares for Georgia and Texas:

1. Run/pass balance. Venables didn't seem thrilled with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle limiting run plays against Michigan. When the Sooners don't run consistently, opponents focus on rushing quarterback John Mateer and his decision making suffers. Oklahoma passed 33 times and ran 29 against Michigan. Last season, the Sooners were 7-0 when they ran more than they passed with wins over Michigan, Tennessee and Alabama. They were 3-3 when they passed more. Even the threat of the run potentially slows the rush and makes Mateer more effective.

2. Lloyd Avant. The transfer from Colorado State might be Oklahoma's best offensive player. He's a dude, as Venables would say. He has been a bright spot, and if used properly, he's one of the best players in the Southeastern Conference. He has 24 carries for 114 yards and four catches for 19 yards this season.  The Sooners need him to touch the ball at least 20 times per game, and several of those should be quick passes to get him into space.

3. New second receiver. The Sooners have lost speedster Trell Harris for the foreseeable future. That means someone else needs to step up to take pressure off the star wideout, Isaiah Sategna. Tight end Rocky Beers is having a breakout season, but the Sooners still need a downfield threat. Elijah Thomas could be the answer. 

4. John Mateer's confidence: Being a successful quarterback requires being able to bounce back from bad games. But it's much easier when you're coming off a good performance. Arbuckler called Mateer's performance against Michigan "uneven." 

"We had the meetings over it," Arbuckle said. "We had hard conversations about it because that’s what you have to have in order to grow. And again, there’s no time to dwell on it. Hey. Take your medicine, let’s go cowboy up and let’s roll. And that’s his mindset.”

A big-time game against New Mexico would be very helpful heading into a road trip against Georgia. Big stats would be nice, but it'll be more about the line keeping his jersey clean and allowing him to freely figure things out.

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5. Limiting turnovers. Oklahoma lost the turnover battle 2-0 against Michigan and would like to get that cleaned up. Mateer appeared to take a step forward in the opener, completing 11 of 17 passes without an interception against UTEP. He threw a costly interception against Michigan that played a key role in the 17-10 loss. He needs to have a full game without one of those big mistakes like the one against Michigan or the interception that was returned for a touchdown against Alabama in the College Football Playoff.    

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