NORMAN — John Mateer’s final stat line at the Cotton Bowl wasn’t flashy.
But it didn’t need to be.
The Sooners scored a touchdown in all three phases of their 27-24 win over No. 1 Texas on Saturday. Mateer completed 18 of his 26 attempts for only 156 yards, but more importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over once.
The fifth-year quarterback had pressure taken off his shoulders as a result of the defense’s stout play, Tate Sandell’s two made field goals and Lloyd Avant’s rushing touchdown. Mateer subsequently played a clean game and led his team to a landmark win.
“That's a pretty good way to do it,” Mateer said. “We played well on all cylinders, and it's team football. It matters. We didn't put up 400 or 500 yards, but we played as a team, and when you do that and get a win, it's really exciting.”
Mateer didn’t suddenly turn into a Heisman frontrunner against the Longhorns. He threw a handful of wayward passes. He also fumbled on the game’s opening drive, but offensive lineman Ryan Fodje was there to recover the football and avoid the turnover.
But the version of Mateer who showed up in Dallas was far better than the one who competed against Michigan, New Mexico and Georgia.
In those three games, Mateer turned the ball over six times, and the Sooners’ opponents scored 27 points off of those miscues.
Even so, Mateer never lost belief that he could compete at a high level against quality competition. And that showed in the game’s final few minutes.
Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna for back-to-back completions that went for a total of 33 yards. Those throws got OU into field-goal range, and Sandell nailed his attempt to give the Sooners the win.
“Defense was playing good, special teams was playing good, so I didn't need to do anything crazy,” Mateer said. “That's something I think I was better at. Every game is different, and you've got to feel the game, and that's just the way that game was going."
Mateer faced plenty of scrutiny over the first month of 2026. He admitted that it “felt really good” to rise to the occasion and put together a stronger performance against OU’s arch rival.
But the quarterback knows that he and his teammates must build on their complete performance to save their season.
OU still has seven SEC games left on its schedule. The Sooners will begin that stretch on Saturday when they host No. 15 Kentucky, which is 5-1 with wins over LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina.
The road ahead isn’t easy. But Mateer feels ready for it after his clean game against the Longhorns.
“We earned it, and it felt good,” Mateer said. “But now it's Monday: you watch the tape, learn where we have to get better, and get ready for a good team coming in on Saturday. We're getting back to it, we're confident but now we can look even closer at the film and we need to get better at knowing that we can make it happen."
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