The vibe is gloomy in Norman after OU fell 17-10 to Michigan in a game many college football fans expected the Sooners to win.
The Sooners dropped their first of three early road tests, with top-five ranked programs Georgia and Texas on their schedule in the next month.
Here are five things to take away from OU-Michigan beyond the scoreboard:
John Mateer is who he is: an inaccurate passer
John Mateer is way too inaccurate of a passer as OU’s starting quarterback.
He dealt with a thumb injury and was in his first season in the Southeastern Conference last year, both excuses but valid reasons to have trouble throwing the ball. But now he’s healthy, and he’s been in this conference for a season. He worked all offseason on improving his body, throwing mechanics and mental processing with various trainers and coaches. Yet, outside of a stronger physique, he looks nearly the same as he did a year ago: an inaccurate passer.
The excuses are thinning, and Mateer is still regularly misplacing throws and missing receivers.
He is certainly a tough competitor, who fights for his team, and he displayed that with a John-Elway-esque helicopter move to finish a rush against the Wolverines. But he’s not the accurate passer the Sooners need.
“We need to do a better job of slowing down, not being hurried to make some of the throws,” head coach Brent Venables said on Saturday. “And we were high consistently throwing the ball today. So we've got to settle down and make several of those balls … be more catchable.”
Lack of run game focus
OU talked all offseason about looking to dominate in the run game, but against Michigan, the Sooners neglected it.
OU had Mateer throw the ball 33 times despite being an inaccurate passer and instead of leaning more into the ground attack. The Sooners also gave their quarterback and one of their lead wide receivers more combined carries than all of their running backs in the game, with Mateer and Isaiah Sategna having 16 together vs. 13 from the backs (29 in total).
Comparatively, Michigan only threw the ball 17 times and finished with 41 carries. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood finished with a 53% completion rate vs. Mateer’s 52%. The Wolverines found success with focusing on the run game instead of an inaccurate passer.
“At the end of the day, I got to do a better job of putting them in positions to go out there and be successful,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said on Saturday.
Rocky Beers' a go-to option
Rocky Beers further cemented himself as a go-to option against Michigan.
The sixth-year tight end led the team in receiving yards with 94 on six receptions, including one that led to a game-tying field goal on the same drive. He scored a highlight touchdown the game before in which he hurdled a defender in the red zone. He surpassed OU’s 2025 No. 1 tight end, Jaren Kanak, in touchdowns on the season with that play.
After much of OU’s offense was put into question against Michigan, two things are clear: the tight end room has improved, and Beers is a reliable option.
“He's a threat anywhere on the field,” Venables said after the UTEP game. “Certainly, he made a nice play down there in the red zone, but tight ends, … in this modern day age of football, … if you're doing things well on offense, they're always a threat in the red zone.”
Kip Lewis injury going to hurt team
Fifth year linebacker Kip Lewis injured his right knee in the first quarter against the Wolverines, initially hopping off the sideline.
He tried to return to the game with a brace on but went back to the sideline in frustration a few minutes later, where he stayed for the remainder of the game.
Lewis is one of the leaders of the defense, having recorded over 140 tackles the last two seasons, including 76 last year.
Venables said that Lewis is expected to “miss some time.”
The Sooners put in junior linebacker James Nesta following the injury Saturday and will have to rely on their depth going forward.
"Kip's emotional and an on-the-field leader, but the expectation is no drop-off," sixth year linebacker Owen Heinecke said on Saturday. "So, unfortunately, it's next man up, and you've got to be able to perform. I think (James) Nesta did a good job stepping up in that situation."
OU needs a healthy offensive line
OU played with a banged up offensive line Saturday and needs it to get healthy.
Fifth year Jake Maikkula and sophomore Ryan Fodje had just returned from injury to start at center and left tackle, respectively, while sophomore Michael Fasusi missed the game due to health issues.
Fodje lost several of his first matchups of the game with being rusty, and overall, the line did not often give Mateer ample time in the pocket.
“We got to do a little cleaner job in the protection,” Venables said on Saturday.
