Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer reiterated he feels that his thumb has no effect on his performances.
Mateer recorded 223 passing yards in a 34-26 loss to Mississippi and added to his subpar performances since returning from injury. He injured his right thumb against Auburn on Sept. 20 before returning 17 days later. Mateer has averaged 192 passing yards in his last three games versus 304 per game before the injury.
“It's definitely not my thumb,” Mateer said. “I'll tell you that, and I stand by that. My thumb is perfectly fine. I think it's just ups and downs with the flow of the game. I'm a human; I'm not perfect.”
Mateer blamed his mental processes for the shortcomings. He threw 17 of 31 in the last game, his second-lowest completion percentage of the season, and he said that he feels confident in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s schemes.
“You got to be real disciplined to where your eyes go and what you see,” Mateer said. “It's pretty simple. It's a more simple offense than a lot of what's around college football, and I need to just get it done.”
Mateer and Arbuckle joined the Sooners after leading Washington State to an 8-5 record and the No. 6 offense in the nation in 2024. Mateer contributed to the team’s marks with 3,139 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. However, Mateer admits that his 2024 season was still imperfect. He threw for over 300 passing yards in four games but also had under 200 in four games.
The inconsistency of 2025 reminds Mateer of 2024. Mateer has also dropped out of On3’s Heisman Trophy rankings after holding the No. 1 spot before the injury. But he said that the move does not change his mentality.
“Last year wasn't perfect; (this year) hasn't been perfect,” Mateer said. “And that's football, and that's OK. But I'm still 21 years old. I'm learning myself as a man and as a Christian. I've learned a lot. It's OK. I think the noise, I've done a good job blocking, and that's not what bothers me. It’s the final product.”
The offense could not salvage a win after a third-quarter rally with sophomore running back Xavier Robinson scoring two touchdowns, and Mateer and Arbuckle are focused on working together to improve the offense.
“We had conversations yesterday, today and Saturday about all of us moving forward together,” Mateer said. “I'm not going to point a finger. It's definitely not his fault. I think he called a good game, and I think he put us in good situations. The players (and) I didn't execute, so it makes everybody look bad.”
Mateer, Arbuckle and the Sooners look to bounce back against Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Neyland Stadium on ABC.
“You can dream for, as a man and as a football player, just the opportunity to bounce back and to play,” Mateer said. “Even with the loss, it's fun to play football. … I reminded myself of that yesterday. Like, it's still fun, and it's still a great opportunity. I'm blessed to be here.”
