Skip Bayless criticizes Brent Venables, John Mateer amid loss to Ole Miss

Oklahoma fell to Ole Miss 34-26 on Saturday, though the Sooners had chances late to tie the contest up. Quarterback John Mateer, though, missed a few open opportunities and the Sooners struggled to move the ball late.

After the game, long-time Oklahoma fan Skip Bayless weighed in on Mateer’s performance. He noted the veteran transfer quarterback “just hasn’t been the same” of late.

“Understandably, John Mateer just hasn’t been the same since the surgery on his throwing hand,” Bayless wrote on Twitter. “Lost his confidence and his accuracy. Decision-making crumbled. Started playing out of control. Just too bad. This team went as he went.”

Mateer has looked out of sorts since returning to the lineup after a surgery repaired a broken bone in his hand. He took five sacks and threw three interceptions in a game against Texas, a game that Oklahoma lost 23-6.

That’s been a recurring theme for John Mateer. He’s been under heavy pressure since returning to the lineup.

The quarterback has now taken nine sacks in the past three games after taking just one per game for the first four contests of the season. With that, his accuracy has fluctuated quite a bit.

Mateer finished the Ole Miss game 17-of-31 passing for 223 yards and a touchdown — without an interception — but most of his damage came early in the contest. He was not nearly as effective after halftime. Moreover, he was limited as a runner. He finished with just 17 yards on 13 carries.

The performance from John Mateer and Oklahoma had Bayless down on the Sooners. He blamed coach Brent Venables, in part, for the subpar showing on Saturday.

“Once again Brent Venables did not have his team ready to play for a big home game,” Bayless wrote. “I just don’t see much fire, intensity, fight. Then again, Ole Miss just looks superior in every way.”

Now sitting at 6-2 on the season, Oklahoma still has a clear path to the playoff. But it’ll need John Mateer to shake his funk, and the team might have to win out against arguably the nation’s most difficult remaining schedule.

Oklahoma will head on the road for the next two contests, at Tennessee and Alabama. Then it’ll return home for dates with Missouri and LSU. Not an easy stretch, to say the least.