OU 42, Temple 3: Takeaways from the win
PHILADELPHIA — It was a painless, easy day for Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Sooners beat the Temple Owls, 42-3, at Lincoln Financial Field. They established control early after the offense scored on its first four drives, while the defense held Temple without a first down on four of its first five drives.
It was an expected but impressive win for the Sooners coming off last week’s primetime win over Mchigan. The Sooners improved to 3-0 for the fourth straight year under Brent Venables and will now prepare to start SEC play next weekend.
Here’s a look at the big takeaways from the Sooners’ 39-point win:
John Mateer takes care of business
Last week, the Sooners asked Mateer to lead the offense with his rushing ability. Against Temple, Mateer mostly did things the traditional way.
Mateer had no issues in the passing game. He completed 20/34 passes for 282 yards, an interception and a touchdown, averaging 14.1 yards per completion while completing while six passes of 20-plus yards. He again displayed a real connection with Jaren Kanak (4 receptions, 86 yards) and also made a point to involve slot receiver Isaiah Sategna, who led the Sooners in both receptions (7) and yards (97).
It was a much simpler game plan for Mateer, but he still managed a few highlights. His first big one came early, when he shook off a Temple defender and found Kanak to pick up a first down. His final play of the day? A 51-yard rushing touchdown where he kept it on a read option and ran untouched to the end zone.
Mateer also found running back Xavier Robinson for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
It was an ideal day for Mateer, who had just seven carries (for 63 yards) after logging 19 against Michigan. He was also able to sit the final quarter and a half, as Michael Hawkins finished the game at quarterback.
Tory Blaylock seizing control of OU’s backfield
Jovantae Barnes got the start at running back and played every snap on the opening drive, scoring a two-yard touchdown.
Blaylock entered late in the first quarter and completely took over the Sooners’ running back room. He led the group with 14 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns, averaging an impressive 7.1 yards per carry.
The true freshman displayed both explosiveness and good vision. His first score came in the second quarter, when he bulldozed over a Temple defender for a six-yard touchdown. His second score came on an 18-yard run, where he bounced it outside and outran Temple’s defense.
Blaylock also had a 25-yard run in the third quarter, which marked OU’s longest run of the season — before Mateer scored on a 51-yard run on the following play.
Through three games, Blaylock leads the Sooners’ running backs by considerable margins in carries (31), yards (166), touchdowns (3) and yards per carry (5.35). That includes Jaydn Ott, who notably did not enter the game until the 6:40 mark of the fourth quarter.
Things could change when SEC play begins next week, but as of now, Blaylock is clearly the leader of OU’s backfield.
OU’s defense shuts down Temple
The Owls scored 97 points through their first two games, leading some to speculate if this could be a “trap game” for the Sooners.
The defense shut that down quickly. The Owls finished with 104 total yards of offense and averaged 1.9 yards per play. Evan Simon — who tallied 422 yards and nine touchdowns through the first two weeks — completed 13/25 passes for 75 yards.
The Sooners forced nine three-and-outs and allowed just seven first downs. They finished with three sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Temple’s only points came late in the second quarter when Mateer was intercepted deep in OU territory, but the defense still forced a three and out and held them to a field goal.
The only catch? Star defensive end R Mason Thomas was ejected for targeting in the third quarter. He’s now set to miss the first half of next week’s game against Auburn, barring an appeal.
OU’s special teams units bounce back
Special teams was one of the only glaring issues for the Sooners in last week’s win over Michigan. But they executed well against Temple.
Things got off to a good start when Tate Sandell nailed a 52-yard field goal, with room to spare. He made a 29-yard attempt late in the first half. Grayson Miller again got the start at punter and was fantastic, averaging exactly 50 yards per punt on four attempts. Isaiah Sategna and the return teams were free of miscues.
The only (slight) blip came when backup kicker Austin Welch narrowly missed a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter. But otherwise, it was an encouraging bounce back for the special teams units.
Up next: The Sooners return home and open SEC play against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday on ABC.
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