College Football Playoff: Greg McElroy stresses need for John Mateer to run the ball vs. Alabama

No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma will kick off the College Football Playoff Friday night in Norman. The Sooners have won both of the previous two meetings between the SEC foes and look to win their third in 13 months Friday night. Alabama, however, will look to bounce back from its disappointing SEC Championship performance with its first CFP game victory since Dec. 31, 2021.

Earlier this season, No. 11 Oklahoma upset No. 4 Alabama 23-21 on the road in Tuscaloosa, handing Kalen DeBoer his first loss in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Although the Sooners were outgained 406-212, they held Alabama to just seven points in the second half and broke up a 4th & 6 pass thrown by Ty Simpson with 50 seconds remaining to cement the win.

In that win, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was held to just 138 yards on 15/23 passing. He did not throw a touchdown or an interception, but rushed for just 23 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. If the Sooners are going to pull off the victory Friday night, they will need a much better performance from Mateer.

Greg McElroy stresses the importance of John Mateer using his legs

ESPN’s Greg McElroy joined ‘Get Up‘ Friday morning, where he stressed the importance of Mateer running the ball in order for Oklahoma to win. Across 12 games this season, the former Washington State transfer boasts 416 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.

“A broken hand shouldn’t lead to poor decision making,” McElroy said. “He’s got 10 interceptions, and a lot of those interceptions were just bad decisions. So I think they’ve got to take some of that decision-making off of him, and they’ve got to run the quarterback. I think that’s where it starts. John Mateer’s best attribute at this point is his playmaking ability as a ball carrier. Alabama’s pass-rush has improved this year, and it’s gotten better as the season’s gone along. They’ve gotten healthier as the year has gone on.

“But what neutralizes the pass rush? A quarterback that is always a threat to take off and scramble and extend plays. He’s great in that aspect. If he extends plays, you’ve got to be super sticky in coverage. If you start paying too much attention to him breaking off and hurting you with his legs, then a receiver could uncover down the field. But I think it’s really important for him to be very, very, opportunistic tonight when taking off and scrambling and utilizing quarterback run. If he touches it or carries it less than 15 times, I’d be a little bit surprised in this game.”

John Mateer has been a different quarterback since undergoing hand surgery

Mateer opened the season as a perennial Heisman Trophy candidate after leading the Sooners to a 4-0 record with wins over No. 15 Michigan and No. 22 Auburn. He, however, suffered a hand injury in the 24-17 win over the Tigers, which kept him out of their game against Kent State. After returning in time for the ‘Red River Rivalry’ game against Texas, Mateer hasn’t been quite the same quarterback.

In the four games prior to his injury, Mateer passed for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns with just three interceptions. Over his final seven games of the regular season, however, Mateer passed for just 1,363 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions. Heading into the Playoff, OU’s offense is certainly its biggest question mark.

There’s no doubt that the Sooners boast one of the best defenses in the country, as they allowed just 273.6 yards per game (9th best in the NCAA). Offensively, though, Oklahoma ranks 12th in the SEC with 353.7 yards per game. It will take a strong performance from Mateer, who was neutralized against the Crimson Tide earlier this season, to propel the Sooners to their first Playoff victory ever (previously 0-4).

Kick-off between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama on Friday night in Norman is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ABC.