ATHENS, Georgia — John Mateer still is not cutting it in an OU uniform.
The fifth year quarterback turned the ball over three times in a 41-13 loss to Georgia on Saturday. He had a 74% pass completion rate, his third most accurate game as a Sooner, but the mistakes were too costly.
Head coach Brent Venables did not shy away from critiquing his quarterback’s headspace after his third consecutive game with an interception.
“Without asking John the question, ‘Hey, how’s your confidence doing,’ it’s like, man, it’s bruised," Venables said. “It certainly isn’t sky high. Nobody’s more disappointed than John, I can promise you. It affects your rhythm; it affects your confidence. It affects your cohesion. Certainly, it is not playing complementary football.”
Mateer’s turnovers put both sides of the ball in poor positions. Georgia linebacker Chris Cole returned Mateer’s first fumble 85 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs also found the end zone on the drive following Mateer’s second fumble.
Mateer denied that the impactful turnovers shook his confidence.
“I’m still playing fast; I think I'm not questioning what I do during (plays),” Mateer said. “I think the process is where it needs to be. I think it's just not working out.”
Mateer added that his quick decision making is not completely problematic.
"That's how I’ve played football for a long time,” Mateer said. “And it's a problem. It can be changed. (But) it’s worked sometimes; I wouldn't just call it a problem.”
Regardless of what Mateer thinks, his mistakes disrupted his team’s rhythm to the point that his coaches considered other options at quarterback during halftime.
“We discussed all options, …” Arbuckle said. “I love and trust everybody in (the quarterback) room.”
Mateer played the entire second half, however.
His coaches had enough trust to stick with him, and his teammates supported him.
“I tell John all the time that I love him, …” junior defensive lineman David Stone said. “I've never really had someone like John. He works hard, … and I feel like that's where the confidence comes from — that preparation. He puts in a lot of time, and I know what it's going to take for him. He's a great player, a great man. He works extremely hard. Like, he's up there more than the coaches.”
Still, the mistakes are too disastrous.
He’s not a freshman, either. He’s in his fifth year. He understands why turnovers happen.
“He knows exactly what I'm going to say before I say it,” 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.”
The challenges only increase as Mateer and the offense look to improve. The Sooners will play No. 1 Texas next, coming off a 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee.
Mateer is confident that the team has the mindset required to bounce back.
“We just gotta go back to work, …” Mateer said. “It’s more detail, more intention. Every week after loss, you get punched in the face and just go back to work. We're not gonna quit. It's not who we are. It's not what we do.”
