Gameday – Soonerguys

Mateer lives up to hype, leads Sooners to 35-3 opening day win over Illinois State

Published on August 30, 2025 by Mike

A new-found passing game and a resilient defense gave the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners a 35-3 win in their first outing against Illinois State on Saturday night, but a struggling rushing game does not bode well for next week when a more formidable foe in the Michigan Wolverines comes to town.

One thing is certain: John Mateer lived up to his hype, completing 30 of 37 passes. His side-arm throws were launched with a quick release, and his targets were considerably better than last year’s wide receiver corps.

Transfer Keontez Lewis, who caught 9 of 11 passes his way for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Deion Burkes caught passes on 88 yards and one touchdown.

Mateer, who completed 81 percent of his passes, set a school record for most yards passing in an Oklahoma debut, passing Baker Mayfield’s 388 yards against Akron in 2015.

Another highlight was former linebacker and now tight end Jaren Kanak, who had five catches for 90 yards, and appeared to be one of Mateer’s favorite targets.

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GAMEDAY – Oklahoma vs. Illinois State

Published on August 30, 2025 by Staff

The 18th ranked Sooners kick off their 2025 campaign today at 5 pm in a non-conference match against the Illinois State Redbirds in Norman. The game will be televised on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.

The opponent isn’t the focus for most fans looking for a cleansing of the palette after a dismisal 6-7 season last year, concluded by an unrecognizable OU team that lost to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth last December.

The focus will be on glimpses that this Sooners bunch is different than that. And there is reason to think they are.

Obviously the heralded Washington State transfer John Mateer at quarterback brings a seasoned leader to an offense that struggled in the last season. But it doesn’t stop there. Transfer wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III from Arkansas and running back Jadyn Ott hope to infuse energy in an offense that struggled, in part due to injuries and inexperience.

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New QB, healthy O-line and strong defense bring optimism for Sooners

Published on August 4, 2025 by Staff

The Sooners enter year two of their SEC experience hopeful that a new QB, a healthier WR corps and an already strong defensive line will improve their chances against the same murderer’s row conference schedule in 2025.

It will be an important test for head coach Brent Venables who is on the hot seat in his fourth year at Oklahoma, after a disappointing 6-7 record last year and managing to win only two conference games.

Certainly the second game of the season at home against Michigan will set an early tone for OU; but, the real test comes in October when the Sooners face No. 3 Texas, go on the road against a stout No.13 South Carolina and then return to Norman to face No. 24 Ole Miss.

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