Oklahoma 17, Missouri 6
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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was superb to start the season, but after sustaining a thumb injury that required surgery, Mateer hasn’t been the same. He rushed back playing versus Texas only 17 days after the surgery. He was awful against the Longhorns and then had some other underwhelming performances, including some poor throws in the fourth quarter to ensure a loss to Ole Miss. Mateer started to find his pre-injury form in the second half against Tennessee two weeks ago, and last week, Mateer was solid as a game manager to help the Sooners get an upset over Alabama.
Missouri dominated the time of possession in the first half, and Mateer had a few three-and-outs. Midway in the second quarter, Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna on a slant, and Sategna exploded for another 75 yards to get an 87-yard touchdown. On the next drive, Mateer showed his speed and toughness on a 15-yard run to convert a third-and-10 and set up a first-and-goal. The next play, Mateer threw a strike to the back of the end zone to JaVonnie Gibson for an eight-yard score.
In the third quarter, Mateer moved the chains with his arm and legs for a field goal drive, but midway through the period, Mateer made a bad decision, throwing into double coverage and getting lucky that a pass went off the tips of the fingers of a defensive back. Late in the fourth quarter, Mateer used his legs to convert a third-and-7 with a 14-yard run to get a critical first down that essentially killed any comeback hopes for Missouri. Versus the Tigers, Mateer did not throw the ball well aside from the second quarter, and he finished completing 14-of-30 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns.
Mateer has a lot of talent to be a pro starter. He has a strong arm, can fire some lasers into tight windows, is very mobile, and is a dangerous runner with speed and toughness. His accuracy can be streaky, and while he will make some beautiful throws, he has some get-away-from-him. Part of that issue could be the thumb injury on his throwing hand, but he still needs to get more consistent. His decision-making needs some improvement, as Mateer can be reckless as a gunslinger with some dangerous passes and then taking some bad sacks, waiting for a big play to emerge rather than taking a check-down or throwing it away. Mateer has a lot of talent, and he could be a Baker Mayfield-style quarterback in the NFL. However, he needs refinement and development. Sources say Mateer is inclined to go back to school, and that is a good idea for making him better prepared for the NFL.
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Missouri has two early-round edge rushers in Zion Young and Damon Wilson. They have been excellent this season with steady pressure on the quarterback. To have a shot at knocking off the Sooners, Missouri needed its tandem to step up with some big plays. While Young and Wilson played well, they weren’t able to do enough with the Tigers’ offense struggling mightily.
Late in the first quarter, Wilson had two nice plays in a row. The first one saw Wilson use a rip move to get leverage on the right tackle and collapse the pocket for a near sack. The next down, Wilson ran a stunt and bounced off the right guard. As Mateer scrambled to his right, Wilson showed his speed and hustle to chase down Mateer for a sack. In the early going of the first half, both Wilson and Young were getting off blocks and pressuring Mateer.
In the third quarter, Young had a power rush, pushing through the right tackle and getting a hit on Mateer just after the ball came out. Later on the drive, Young shed the block of the right tackle and then chased down Mateer for a sack. Wilson pushed through the left tackle to get to Mateer just after Young wrapped up the legs of the Sooners quarterback. That sack caused Oklahoma to settle for a field goal
This tape should help both Young and Wilson. Young showed speed and athleticism at the point of attack. Both Young and Wilson are fast to get upfield, agile to redirect, and have functional strength to shed blocks. This tape should help Young and Wilson be first- or second-round picks next April.
