Following Oklahoma's 41-13 loss to No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 26, Sooners head coach Brent Venables told reporters that the coaching staff discussed potentially benching quarterback John Mateer during the blowout. The Sooners offense has been a mess for most of the season, outside of a 51-0 win over UTEP in their season opener. Since that game, Oklahoma had scored 37 total points against the defenses of Michigan, New Mexico and Georgia.
Oklahoma, which entered the season with a No. 10 ranking, lost to Michigan and Georgia. Oklahoma is looking to rebound when they play No. 1 Texas in the "Red River Rivalry" on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. While Texas will be a favorite in the game, the rivalry has seen numerous wins by the underdog.
More news: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More news: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts When speaking to reporters about Oklahoma's preparation for Texas, Venables said Mateer is "our starting quarterback" but noted backups Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley were given "a lot of the reps" during practice last week. When Venables was asked if Newbauer or Bently could get playing time, the coach said he had no idea just yet. His answer was a clear warning to Mateer.
He needs to play better, or he could see the bench as the Sooners try to upset Texas. "We've got great belief in them, trust in them," Venables said, via 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." Through the first four games, Mateer has thrown for 883 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He had a breakout season at Washington State in 2024, throwing for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Mateer dealt with a broken bone in his hand for much of last season and finished with 2,885 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
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