OU embarrassed itself in Athens.
The Sooners (2-2) fell 41-13 to one of the top teams in the country in No. 2 Georgia (4-0) on Saturday. OU was not expected to be within 13 points of Georgia going into the game, but how it lost left a lot to be desired.
Here are five bigger developments:
Mateer continues trend of struggling quarterbacks in Venables’ era
John Mateer’s struggles relate to a theme throughout much of Brent Venables’ tenure: quarterbacks who don’t meet the standard.
Mateer has not panned out so far after being one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal in 2025. Jackson Arnold, who went into 2024 as the starter at quarterback, did not find his footing in an OU uniform, either. Arnold has also struggled since leaving OU, having never eclipsed 1,500 passing yards as a college quarterback.
Here is how the combined winning percentage of Venables’ quarterbacks compares to former head coaches Lincoln Riley and Bob Stoops:
Lincoln Riley's QBs: 85% (55-10)
Bob Stoops' QBs: 80% (188-47)
Brent Venables' QBs: 62% (34-21)
Here is the winning percentage of each OU quarterback with at least five starts since 2000:
1. Spencer Rattler (2019-21): 88% on 17 starts
2. Jason White (1999-04): 87.1% on 31 starts
3. Nate Hybl (1999-02): 87.0% on 23 starts
4. Jalen Hurts (2019): 86% on 14 starts
4. Kyler Murray (2016-18): 86% on 14 starts
6. Baker Mayfield (2014-17): 85% on 39 starts
7. Josh Heupel (1999-00): 80% on 25 starts
8. Landry Jones (2008-12): 78% on 50 starts
9. Sam Bradford (2006-09): 77% on 31 starts
10. Blake Bell (2010-14): 75% on eight starts
11. Trevor Knight (2012-15): 73.3% on 15 starts
11. Paul Thompson (2002-06): 73.3% on 15 starts
13. Rhett Bomar (2004-05): 72.7% on 11 starts
14. Caleb Williams (2021): 71% on seven starts
15. John Mateer (2025-26): 69% on 16 starts
16. Dillon Gabriel (2022-23): 67% on 24 starts
17. Jackson Arnold (2023-24): 50% on 10 starts
18. Michael Hawkins (2024-25): 40% on five starts
John Mateer has a turnover problem
John Mateer had his third consecutive game with an interception on Saturday.
Mateer threw an interception with 4:58 remaining in the second quarter, which Georgia junior defensive back KJ Bolden returned 28 yards. It was only a drive after he fumbled the ball while being sacked on 3rd and goal, returned for a touchdown by Georgia junior linebacker Chris Cole. He fumbled another time before the end of the half, which meant he turned the ball over on three straight drives.
The turnovers keep piling for Mateer, and he’s in his fifth year of college football. He understands what leads to these mistakes.
“He knows exactly what I'm going to say before I say it,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “And that doesn't make it any better. ... He knows exactly what I'm going to say, and we have to continue pushing forward, get better at it.”
Brent Venables not ready to make staff changes
Brent Venables is not ready to discuss potential staff changes or a restructuring of responsibilities despite the scrutiny around the offense through four games. The Sooners rank No. 107 in the nation in yards per game and N0. 110 in rushing yards per game.
"I'm not there right now," Venables said. "Trying to figure out what we need to do to get better and get ready for Texas and the rest of our season."
David Stone’s a warrior
Junior defensive lineman David Stone showcased resiliency, playing on Saturday after a knee injury early in the week.
He finished with two tackles on Saturday after originally not expecting to play. Stone ran his knee into a scout team player in a jog-through during last Monday’s practice, dislocating it.
“It was scary,” Stone said. “Honestly, I can't lie, I thought I would never play football again. If I'm being honest, I've never had energy like that on the field or off the field. … We got an X-ray, and … I started to gain a little bit of faith that, ‘Hey, OK, this is not impossible that I can play. But I (always) wanted to play this week. It's a big game, so I want to (be there for) my teammates in the moment. And man, I just knew that if I had a chance to play, I was (going to) play.”
Omarion Robinson breaking out
Sophomore defensive back Omarion Robinson continued to break out against Georgia.
He finished with an interception and five tackles on Saturday. He has now recorded at least five tackles in each of his last three games, helping him have 17 tackles on the season. He recorded only three tackles in 2025.
