Following Oklahoma’s 41-13 defeat to the second-ranked Georgia on September 26, Sooners head coach Brent Venables discussed the possibility of benching quarterback John Mateer. The conversation among the coaching staff arose as Oklahoma’s offense faced ongoing struggles throughout the season, with the exception of a dominant 51-0 win against UTEP in the season opener.
Since their victorious start, Oklahoma has only managed to score a cumulative 37 points in games against Michigan, New Mexico, and Georgia. Despite entering the season with a No. 10 ranking, the team has suffered losses to both Michigan and Georgia.
Oklahoma aims to recover in their upcoming face-off against top-ranked Texas in the “Red River Rivalry,” scheduled for Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Historically, this rivalry has often delivered unexpected outcomes, with underdogs frequently clinching victories.
In preparation for the clash against Texas, Venables reiterated that Mateer remains the starting quarterback. However, he mentioned that backups Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley received significant practice reps throughout the prior week.
“We’ve got great belief in them, trust in them,” Venables told ESPN. “There’s a body of work that both of those guys, both Bowe and Whitt, have put out there and for us to evaluate. They’re doing a nice job, they’re working hard, improving incrementally and doing all the things that we want our quarterback to do as a whole, as a group.”
Despite the current situation, Venables has not ruled out the possibility of Newbauer or Bentley seeing game time against Texas, further putting pressure on Mateer to elevate his performance.
Until now, Mateer has accumulated 883 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions in the first four games of this season. In 2024, he enjoyed a stellar season at Washington State, amassing 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Last season, an unfortunate broken bone in his hand limited his output to 2,885 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.