Nothing comes close to the wild, tense atmosphere of the Red River Rivalry, but Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer took things a step too far. Right after leading the Sooners to a dramatic 27-24 upset over top-ranked Texas at Cotton Bowl Stadium, Mateer decided to grab the spotlight. But what was meant to be a grand gesture quickly turned into an awkward mess online.
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The Little Elm native grabbed a huge Oklahoma flag and ran to the edge of the field to plant it right into the grass. To make it even more dramatic, he did it while the Texas players were walking off the field. The Texas players had no choice but to walk right past Mateer because the end-zone exit funneled them straight past his flag-planting celebration on their way to the locker room.
In college football rivalries, planting a flag on the turf is the ultimate power move. It is a fiery flashpoint that signals total dominance, though it has increasingly drawn heavy conference fines and institutional warnings. While anyone on a winning team technically can grab the banner, unwritten player codes expect you to back it up with a stellar performance before claiming the crown.
But this time, it backfired. Instead of getting praise for his bold celebration, Mateer got an incredibly cold response online, and it wasn’t from angry Texas fans, but from his very own fan base. A huge number of Oklahoma supporters immediately went to social media to call out their quarterback because they felt embarrassed by his actions.
The main reason Oklahoma fans are refusing to give him a pass is simple: his stats did not match his loud trash-talk. Even though the team won, fans felt Mateer did not do much of the heavy lifting. He finished the game passing for just 155 yards and 0 touchdowns. College football fans have an unwritten rule that you must play like a superstar if you want to pull off a cocky stunt like that, and fans felt his weak personal performance did not earn him the right to act like the king of the field.
The memory of former Oklahoma star Baker Mayfield also made things look worse for Mateer. Everyone remembers back in 2017 when Baker famously planted the flag at the center of Ohio State’s field.
That moment became legendary because Baker actually dominated the game, throwing for 386 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sooners fans were quick to remind Mateer that copying a team legend when you did not personally play well just looks forced, cringe, and unearned.
You can argue John Mateer felt like he did his part to win the game, all thanks to Arch Manning and his decision.
The game was an absolute dogfight that came down to the final seconds. With the game tied up late in the fourth quarter, Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw a costly, late interception that blew the door wide open for the Sooners.
Mateer took advantage of the mistake and led a clutch drive, complete with a beautiful sideline pass to wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III to get the team close to the end zone. As the clock ran out, kicker Tate Sandell stepped up and nailed a perfect 47-yard field goal to win the game, giving Oklahoma its first rivalry victory over Texas since 2023.
That was only good play from Mateer this game.
In the end, this situation became a perfect example of what fans call “group project syndrome.” The Oklahoma defense and special teams worked incredibly hard to save the day and keep the dangerous Texas offense from scoring. Fans felt that instead of being humble and thanking the teammates who actually won the game, Mateer tried to steal all the glory for himself, which backfired completely and made his own fans turn on him.
Walker Nixon, an unimpressed Sooners fan, thinks that the quarterback’s skills simply don’t justify such a massive post-game celebration.
He explained his frustration online, stating, “He isn’t good enough to be doing all that.” For Walker, you need to be an absolute superstar on the field before you try to pull off a stunt that cocky.
Another fan named Big Pat was even more direct about how bad the quarterback actually played during the game. Pat thinks that Mateer needs a major reality check and posted, “Mateer played like ass…. Humble yourself”. He wants the quarterback to stop acting like a hero when his individual numbers were so weak.
A die-hard supporter using the handle Nas thinks it is hilarious that Mateer is trying to act like a program legend. He quickly shut down the celebration by writing, “F— nah you ain’t no Baker buddy. Let’s pipe down and get to the locker room asap so you can get on your knees thanking your defense and special teams 😂✌🏻” Nas believes the quarterback should be quiet and give all the credit to the teammates who actually saved the game.
Another frustrated fan named Colt took a very dramatic approach because he was so upset with the quarterback’s attitude.
Colt thinks Mateer’s performance was actively hurting the team and claimed, “Does bro think we won cause of him? Get that terrorist off my team immediately.” He thinks the quarterback is completely daydreaming if he believes he is the reason Oklahoma won.
A fan named 50MEX thinks the whole situation looks like a classic school assignment where one person tries to take all the credit. He mocked the quarterback’s celebration by posting, “Act like he did all the work! Definition of group project”. He thinks it is funny that Mateer is celebrating like a king when the rest of the team did the heavy lifting.
A slightly nicer fan named Maker Bayfield thinks that even though the quarterback didn’t play great, a victory over a rival is still worth celebrating. He shared a more balanced view, saying, “Not quite Baker, but we’ll take it.” While he admits Mateer is nowhere near Baker Mayfield’s legendary level, he is still happy to take the win.
Finally, a traditional Sooners fan named C. Cole thinks that Mateer’s celebration just looks like a cheap imitation of program history. Speaking as an Oklahoma supporter, he admitted, “Baker did it better in every conceivable way. And I’m saying that as a Sooners fan!” Cole believes that copying an iconic moment when you didn’t personally play a great game just looks forced and embarrassing.