John Mateer not discouraged by lack of success in passing game

NORMAN — Oklahoma has played well enough to win three consecutive games and put itself in great position to make the College Football Playoff.

But OU quarterback John Mateer knows the offense needs to be better.

The Sooners struggled again offensively in last Saturday’s 17-6 win over Missouri. Mateer threw for 173 yards on 14/30 attempts, marking his third straight game under 200 passing yards. The offense finished with 276 total yards, marking back-to-back games under 300.

While the Sooners faced a capable defense in Missouri, the biggest issue was the lack of consistency. The Sooners scored on just three of their 14 offensive possessions, including zero points outside the second quarter. That particularly showed up in the fourth quarter as the offense struggled to put the game away.

“I think It’s a lot of me,” Mateer said. “Just taking short, easy stuff to keep us in efficient situations, down-and-distances, and then hitting the (deep) shots.”

While Mateer again had subpar production in the passing game, there was one important distinction against Missouri — the Sooners actually tried to threaten the Tigers down the field. They just couldn’t capitalize.

Mateer attempted six passes with an average target depth (ADOT) of 20-plus yards, but didn’t complete one, per Pro Football Focus. He attempted three such passes against Tennessee and zero against Alabama.

It was a less-conservative approach for the Sooners, and it did pay off when Mateer found Isaiah Sategna for an 87-yard touchdown on an intermediate route that gave the Sooners the lead. It was the longest offensive play this season for the Sooners.

“Just because we haven’t scored — the first quarter didn’t go well,” Mateer said. “But we didn’t get down, we still believed. We believe in each other and we know when we get an opportunity we’ve got enough players that we can break a game open and that’s what happened.”

Mateer isn’t discouraged by the lack of success on deep throws.

“Tried it a little more but just didn’t land ’em, which is fine,” Mateer said. “We’ll get better. Just getting more game reps at it.”

Mateer and the Sooners will hope to have more success in this weekend’s regular-season finale against LSU. The Tigers (7-4, 3-4 SEC) have spiraled a bit this season, but the defense has remained solid. They rank 16th in scoring defense and 23rd in total defense. They’ve allowed 29 passes of 20-plus yards this season — OU’s defenses has also given up 29 such passes — which ranks 40th nationally.

“They’re good, super talented players, obviously,” Mateer said. “It’s a highly talented program. Good scheme. They try to confuse you, and they’ll man you up. So we’ve got to get after it.”

Even with the offense struggling, the Sooners are just one win away from the College Football Playoff. And if the offense can improve just a little, that would boost the Sooners’ chances even more.

“It’s a blessing to have an opportunity to do something like this,” Mateer said. “This is something you’ve dreamed of, or something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. Having the perspective to see the opportunity is great.

“But also understanding it’s another game. I don’t mean that — it’s the most important game because it’s the game we have.”

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