Oklahoma edged Auburn 24-17 in what was a stunning display of defense from the Sooners the entire game. With a ferocious pass rush, they set a school record with 10 sacks of former Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold. John Mateer delivered a calm and composed night, going 24-36 for 271 yards and a touchdown. R. Mason Thomas finished the game with a game-clinching safety in the last moments. After winning the game, Mateer was asked about his alternate moniker, ‘Money Mateer,’ and George Stoia III captured the entire interaction, which is now making headlines.

Stoia’s X post read, “John Mateer joked that he’s a little different person than Johnny Manziel when asked about the nickname ‘Money Mateer.’” On his way out, @Eddie_Rado asked him to expand on the differences between him and Manziel. Mateer: “I’m going to church in the morning.” 

Johnny Manziel ruled college football when he was at the Aggies. The first freshman to win a Heisman, Manziel’s list of nicknames wasn’t limited to just ‘Money Manziel.’ He also got called ‘Johnny Football,’ and even ‘making it rain’ gained notoriety. But the first one has stuck with the former A&M QB. Largely because it reminds everyone of his flamboyant personality, off-field controversies, and a scandal that got the NCAA involved. Now, we see a calmer, composed Johnny in his post-NFL Life. How did Manziel react to Mateer’s remarks? The answer is the same way.

On the NightCap podcast featuring Shannon Sharpe, the crew talked to Manziel about the same backdrop of OU-Auburn 24-17 and those 10 sacks as the context for “Money Mateer” that blew up after the game. And Johnny Manziel took it with the same playfulness and grin that Mateer displayed. “I don’t think anything that he said is a slide. I get he’s trying to be funny. It is what he is. Continue to keep playing well, young fella. And all is well,” Johnny Manziel said, noting that he went to church every Sunday with his family. 

Johnny Manziel also encouraged Mateer to keep balling and acknowledged that Oklahoma looks to be in a great spot right now. He continued, “Oklahoma has a good team right now. First time being 4-0 for them in a while. I don’t look at anything like that to set anymore and take it as a slide or take it in any kind of way.” His tone matched Oklahoma’s dominant performance and a statement win to go 4-0. Mateer led a great game-winning march, still consistent from that last Michigan beatdown.

From the vantage point of Mateer and Oklahoma, the takeaway and the beneficial thing is to let the nickname live as long as the identity it represents is balling his heart out. The late-game poise, the ability to go for a sack spree, and a quarterback posting consistent results are exactly what Oklahoma needs this season. The church line is a viral soundbite, but the film is the clip that does rounds even after viral chatter has dulled down. And for Oklahoma, the chatter won’t be down in the near future.

Refs at play

The Oklahoma-Auburn game was headlined by yet another controversy. It was poor officiating. There was a momentum-flipping 64-yard score on Oklahoma’s opening series, which was then erased on replay as an incomplete pass. It turned a potential 7-0 lead into a normal 3rd-and-10 for the Sooners and, just moments later, a 49-yard field goal the other way. That sequence changed the scoreboard, but what it also changed was the temperature around the field and the sidelines. In a one-score game, these swings are seismic, and it’s easy to understand the fury once you witness the decision yourself.

The bigger turnaround came in the second quarter on the “fake-substitution” touchdown. A receiver was seen going towards the sidelines as if he was exiting the game, but then stayed in the formation and suddenly broke free for an uncontested score. If we are going by the rules, this ‘simulated substitution’ carries a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior, but none of that happened. The call was missed, and the game went on. 

The SEC then acknowledged the call skipped their eye, and it was like pouring gasoline on fire. Moreover, Freeze claims that he was trying for a timeout before the ball was snapped. Auburn feels both unseen and unprotected, this time by people who are there to protect the sanctity of the game.