Oklahoma needs a real quarterback evaluation during this bye week. One that includes meaningful work for the quarterbacks behind John Mateer and a legitimate possibility that somebody else starts against Texas.
That is where I am after the Sooners’ 41-13 loss at Georgia.
Mateer’s mistakes were the biggest reason Oklahoma squandered its opportunity to make this a game. Three consecutive first-half possessions ended with the ball in Georgia’s hands. Two fumbles and an interception took an offense that was beginning to find something and buried it.
The staff considered making a change Saturday. Brent Venables confirmed that afterward.
“It was something that we discussed,” Venables said.
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle offered the reasoning for staying with Mateer.
“We discussed all options on the headset and ultimately still felt like John was our best choice to go win the game right there,” Arbuckle said.
That explains the decision in Athens. It does not settle the decision for Dallas.
There is a difference between deciding who gives you the best chance during a game and evaluating who should lead the offense after two more weeks of preparation. Oklahoma now has that time. It needs to use it.
Mateer can still make plays. That is part of what makes this so frustrating. He helped move the offense into scoring position, found open receivers and showed stretches of the quarterback OU needs. Then came mistakes so damaging that the successful plays around them barely mattered.
An offense cannot build around the hope that its quarterback’s next good stretch will survive his next catastrophic decision.
This is also where the discussion needs to remain honest. Georgia already led 14-0 before the first fumble. Rocky Beers lost another fumble in the second half. A different quarterback does not automatically erase every problem or produce an Oklahoma win.
But none of that makes Mateer’s performance acceptable. His ball security cost OU the chance to capitalize on the openings Arbuckle’s offense created, and the staff cannot treat that as an unfortunate detail around otherwise encouraging possessions.
Asked whether there was a viable option behind Mateer, Arbuckle said, “I love and trust everybody in that room.”
Then the evaluation needs to reflect that trust.
Give the alternatives substantial work with the first offense. Put them through the situations OU keeps mishandling: pressure, scoring territory, third down and the decision to abandon a play. Judge whether they can get the offense into the right look, deliver the available throw and protect a possession when the big play disappears.
Those are proposed standards for the bye, not a report that the staff has already opened a competition. The coaches did not announce a new starter Saturday.
Nor does being the backup prove someone is the answer. The next quarterback must demonstrate that he can operate the offense. Oklahoma cannot make this decision simply to satisfy an angry crowd.
It also cannot keep making the same decision because Mateer understands the system, works hard or has played better football before. Those things matter. So does what is happening now.
When asked about mistakes from such an experienced quarterback, Arbuckle acknowledged the obvious.
“He knows exactly what I’m going to say before I say it.”
That is the concern. Another explanation of ball security cannot be the entire response.
If Mateer earns the job again through a demanding evaluation, the staff needs to be able to explain what changed. If another quarterback gives this team a more reliable chance to function, the bye is the time to make the move.
Team 132 has too much football left for any starting job to become an entitlement.
