Three opponents to watch: Oklahoma Sooners

Michigan football is going on the road for the first time in 2025, as the Wolverines head southwest into SEC country to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. It will be the second matchup all-time between the two blue bloods (Oklahoma won, 14-6, in the 1976 Orange Bowl) and the first on-campus meeting.

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Of course, Sherrone Moore returning to Norman to coach against his alma mater will be the most dominant storyline heading into Saturday night’s marquee matchup, but Moore won’t be on the field making plays.

Let’s look at three Sooners to keep an eye on as the Wolverines look to score a monumental victory against Oklahoma.

QB John Mateer

Simply put, John Mateer is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He proved why he’s earned that recognition in last week’s 35-3 victory over FCS Illinois State. Clearly, the Redbirds of ISU are, to put it nicely, not a good measuring stick; and to put it harshly, they’re horrible.

Regardless of the talent level of last week’s opponent, Mateer still put on a show worth mentioning. He completed 30 of his 37 pass attempts (81 percent completion rate) for 392 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Last season at Washington State, Mateer filled up the stat sheet, too. He threw for north of 3,100 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Oklahoma does have a suspect offensive line, so if Michigan pass rushers like Derrick Moore, T.J. Guy and Cam Brandt can wreak havoc in the trenches, it could knock Mateer off his game. But if the Oklahoma big men up front hang tough, it could be a long day for Michigan’s defensive backs — Mateer is more than capable of picking apart the Wolverines’ defense if he’s given the time.

WR Deion Burks

Deion Burks hasn’t held back in how personal this week’s game is for him. The Belleville, Michigan, native and former teammate of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood spent time taking shots at Michigan throughout the week.

“Michigan did not recruit me, so I don’t like them.” Burks said earlier this week. “It’s definitely personal.”

“They have a saying that pretty much the best players stay in Michigan,” Burks said. “So, I guess I’m not one of those best players they were shooting for.”

Burks spent three seasons at Purdue. During those three seasons, Burks hauled in 63 passes for 804 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which came during his 2023 campaign. After three years with the Boilermakers, Burks transferred to Oklahoma. Last season with the Sooners, Burks caught 31 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns.

Although Burks and Mateer were playing in their first game together last week, the duo looked like seasoned veterans as they connected seven times for 88 yards and a score.

With Saturday night’s game being “personal” for Burks, look for Underwood’s former teammate to make a big impact.

LB Sammy Omosigho

Last week against Illinois State, Omosigho recorded twice as many tackles as any other Sooner defender. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior linebacker logged eight tackles and a sack in last week’s 35-3 win over the Redbirds.

The former four-star recruit and top-100 prospect in the 2023 class has been a staple of the Oklahoma defense for three seasons, and he will be a big factor in Saturday night’s primetime matchup.

Brent Venables, a defensive-minded head coach who calls the defense for the Sooners, will certainly have a plan in place to defend Underwood and the Wolverines, and Omosigho could play an instrumental role in stopping Michigan’s solid rushing attack.

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