OU football QB John Mateer heard the boos. He knows he has to be better
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NORMAN — John Mateer is human. He heard the thunderous boos Saturday night.
Oklahoma’s quarterback knows he needs to be better. A lot better if the Sooners are going to get through the gauntlet of a schedule ahead.
“You don’t need to boo us,” Mateer said postgame. “Sure, do it. You do whatever you want. But we know. We’re people, too.”
Mateer was off from the get-go Saturday.
On the third play of the game, he threw a pass back behind his body that was intercepted On his second interception, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said he’d need to review the play, but it appeared Mateer and wide receiver Parker Livingstone miscommunicated.
Still, the reality was that Mateer was OU’s only consistent generator of offense in its 14-6 win over New Mexico. He played 59 snaps and finished with a Pro Football Focus passing grade of 65.6.
The Sooners struggled to run the ball with any consistency amid continued offensive line struggles, putting even more on Mateer’s shoulders.
"First of all, throwing it back over the middle, not a good idea,” Mateer said. “I thought I could get it in there, obviously didn't. And the second one, a little miscommunication, but I mean, there's so many places to throw the ball… And it's like, what? But it's on me. I mean, just can't do it.
“And there's another option on the play to throw somewhere else. So if I see it not going well, just throw it to the other place."
After the two turnovers in the first half, Mateer settled in.
He finished 19 of 25 for 238 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. His 76% completion percentage was his second-best as a Sooner.
The touchdowns went to tight end Hayden Hansen, who caught a 29-yard pass for his first score in an OU uniform, and wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III, who took a 53-yard pass to the house.
Arbuckle said he thought Mateer delivered the ball well in big moments throughout the game.
"I thought it was clean,” Mateer said of his play after the interceptions. “Completion percentage is good. Taking the access, we knew they'd give us access, some good run checks, and other than that I thought it was pretty good."
The Sategna score was the biggest play of the game.
Mateer was late to throw it to the wide-open receiver, not noticing Sategna until the crowd of 83,243 inside Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium reacted to just how open he was.
"We ran the ball out of that formation earlier in the game, so we knew the safety came down and fit the run,” Mateer said. “We had a run take, and then I was late to it. I looked left and I skipped over to the third read, and I heard everybody screaming, 'Well, something must be going on.'
“I'm serious. Put his hand up, and I see him."
Mateer was asked a follow up question. Who did he hear screaming?
"The fans,” Mateer said.The same fans who had booed him earlier in the night had, in a strange way, helped him make a huge play. It was a fitting moment for a quarterback who had spent the night fighting through his own mistakes.
Mateer took OU’s loss to Michigan hard. He recentered himself with his faith, gave the loss over to God and tried to flip the script.
Then came the turnovers Saturday. He said to himself, "I’m being tested again."
The Sooners’ quarterback was able to fight through it. Now comes a larger test.
OU travels to face No. 2 Georgia at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Sanford Stadium and Mateer will need to be at his best.
“I thought for the most part tonight, I thought John did some really good things,” Arbuckle said. “Especially in the second half. There's some good stuff to build off of.”
OU vs. Georgia
KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. CT at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia (ESPN)
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football QB John Mateer heard the boos. He knows he has to be better
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