Even without Heisman hype, John Mateer has taken a barely bowl-eligible Oklahoma squad to No. 8 in the country, beating four ranked teams, including a first-year upset over No. 4 Alabama. With one game left on the schedule, Mateer looked back on his SEC experience and admitted the one thing that’s been haunting him all season: inconsistent offense.

“It’s a little different, a little—yeah, it’s definitely a little different, a little stimulating, but it’s part of growing up, part of being on the big stage.” Insider Carson Field on posted X.

John Mateer explained when asked about his SEC experience so far. He then recalled the thrill of his first game against Illinois State, especially walking out as a champion. Something he had never experienced before. When the Oklahoma Sooners entered the season, many analysts called it an 8–4 season at best because of their brutal schedule and the SEC’s no-mercy nature. According to several major outlets, they were ranked No. 1 in the toughest schedule in the country. But that didn’t seem to bother HC Brent Venables or John Mateer one bit.

The transfer from Washington State came in with high hopes, especially after reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, and he put on a show in the very first game of the season against Illinois State. He completely broke a school record in his debut, throwing for an incredible 392 yards and three touchdowns. Right out of the gate, fans knew they had a star on their hands – Baker Mayfield level excitement.

However, things did get a little bumpy. After some great performances early on, the offense started to slow down. One of the biggest obstacles holding the Sooners back is their inconsistency on offense. They have gotten almost nothing from the running back corps. In fact, John Mateer has been their best runner on the field. Because of that, he’s often forced into making tough throws. He opened up about the inconsistency:

“I think it’s a lot of me..I mean, just taking short, easy stuff, you know, keeping us in efficient situations down and distances, and then hitting the shots… I tried it a little more and just didn’t land them, which is fine. We’ll get better.”

Despite the injury and the inconsistency, Mateer still came up big for the Sooners when it mattered most. He helped the team secure crucial wins late in the season, including upset victories over Tennessee, Michigan, Missouri, and Alabama. His season totals came out to 2,260 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, and seven rushing touchdowns, a strong year considering the time he missed.

Fast forward to Week 12, the Oklahoma Sooners are 9-2 (5-2 in the SEC) and hoping the football gods pull some strings to get them into the playoffs. With one more win this weekend against LSU, the Sooners are most likely the make the playoff berth. However, a large part of Mateer’s success this year also comes from Isaiah Sategna’s clutch performances.

Isaiah Sategna: Sooners’ most clutch player?

After transferring from Arkansas, Sategna has become an explosive playmaker for the Sooners, catching 56 passes for 827 yards and six touchdowns. His speed, developed from being one of the top track and field sprinters in the country, makes him a big scoring threat whenever he gets open. Sategna showed just how fast he is in Oklahoma’s recent 17-6 win over Missouri.

On one play, quarterback John Mateer threw him the ball on a slant route, and Sategna ran past the defenders for an 87-yard touchdown. Mateer even commented on how fast Sategna is, saying, “Oh, bye, see ya. He’s really fast.” That touchdown provided a much-needed spark for an offense that had only minus-7 yards in the first quarter.

Even though the Sooners’ offense wasn’t very consistent in the game, they didn’t need to be because their defense played extremely well. Missouri struggled to score, and Oklahoma’s defense helped keep the team in the game. If it weren’t for Sategna’s clutch performance throughout the season and Brent Venables’ defense, the Sooners wouldn’t even have half the wins they have today.

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