Oklahoma OC: Errors must stop, but QB Mateer offers 'best chance to win'

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is in his fourth year with John Mateer and knows what the quarterback is capable of, from the 44 touchdowns he accounted for when they were at Washington State in 2024 to making the College Football Playoff last season after they went together to the Sooners.

So despite Mateer's inconsistency this season, Arbuckle still believes he is the best option at quarterback for Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2 SEC). The Sooners play Saturday at Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2).

"Everything that he's done, the player that he is, the preparation that he has, we believe that John Mateer gives us the best chance to win," Arbuckle said Tuesday. "Like I've said multiple times, we have to eliminate backbreaking errors, catastrophic errors. For all the good that he does, we have to eliminate those, and he's not alone in that."

But Mateer is responsible for nine of Oklahoma's 14 turnovers this season, including seven interceptions.

He has played behind a banged-up offensive line for much of the season. Three regulars missed Saturday's loss to Kentucky with injuries and a fourth, versatile Ryan Fodje, suffered an ankle injury late in the third quarter and struggled to play through it.

After a turnover-free game and two impressive throws on the final drive to set up a game-ending field goal for a 27-24 upset over No. 1 Texas in one of the nation's biggest rivalry games, Mateer matched his career high with three interceptions in the 21-13 home loss to No. 12 Kentucky.

While he completed 24 of 40 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown, two of his interceptions came in the game's final 16 minutes. The Wildcats turned both picks into touchdowns.

"I take full responsibility for those plays whenever they happen," Arbuckle said. "Ultimately, I'm the one who calls the play out there. Ultimately, I'm the one who designs it, and if something bad out there happens, I believe it falls back on me. John's the one out there playing, making the decision in the real moment whenever it happens, but at the end of the day, I have to be better and I have to take accountability for whenever one of those backbreaking mistakes happen."

Mateer has completed 114 of 175 passes (65.1%) for 1,308 yards and nine touchdowns this season, after posting 2,885 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year. As a third-year sophomore and first-time starter for Washington State in 2024, Mateer had for 3,139 passing yards with 29 touchdowns while running for another 826 yards and 15 scores.

"I saw improvement," coach Brent Venables said about Mateer after the Kentucky game. "I thought he did a really good job most of the game, played well and gave us an opportunity to win. I thought he battled his butt off."