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