John Mateer gives Oklahoma early lead over Illinois State with first TD as a Sooner
By Mark Kern
Published:
John Mateer was one of the biggest transfer players available all offseason, and he made his decision to be the next starting quarterback at Oklahoma. The Sooners struggled mightily on offense last season, and Mateer was part of the new offensive engine brought to Norman to fix that.
One of his strengths is his ability to run the ball, and he showed Oklahoma fans that on Saturday when he scored his first touchdown as a Sooner on a 7-yard run.
Mateer started his career at Washington State, and he was a breakout star last year when he threw for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and also ran for 826 yards and another 15 scores.
Last year was the first season for the Sooners in the SEC, and things didn’t go very well. As OU limped to 6-7, the offense averaged only 24 points per game to rank 97th nationally in scoring.
Mateer has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football. If he is able to build off his play from last season and have a similar success in his new home, then the Sooners have a chance to be a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
While the team is taking care of business against Illinois State, a much tougher game looms next week when the Sooners host Michigan in a game that ESPN’s College Gameday will be attending.
