A look at John Mateer, the Sooner quarterback Texas will see October 11 in the Cotton Bowl

The Oklahoma Sooners offseason strategy resembles the current mindset of movie studios in Hollywood. Because coach Brent Venables has gone all in on a superhero to save him in Norman. Will the approach work out like Iron Man once did for Marvel or be more like Shaq in Kazaam?

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Venables’ potential savior comes in the form of Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer. Mateer followed 29-year-old offensive coordinator and Air Raid disciple Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma. The change marked a significant shift in offensive approach from Venables, who returns to the style of offense which Lincoln Riley employed to snag two crimson-clad Heisman Trophy winners.

Here are my initial thoughts on Mateer. Also, my fear level of him as a Texas fan who will see him in the Cotton Bowl come Red River.

He’s a Texas-Bred Gunslinger Who Will Need a Big Cape

Watch Mateer for one minute and it’s obvious where he’s from. He’s a Texas high school quarterback through and through. Todd McShay also noted that in his podcast’s deep dive of the dual-threat quarterback earlier this week.

I don’t mean that as a dig, Mateer is the opposite of a system-bred robot. He’s a product of his environment. And like the Steph Curry effect on Gen Z in basketball, Mateer is a kid who clearly grew up watching Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes. He throws at impressive arm angles and contorts his body in ways which make now-35-year-old me feel the need to stretch. When I first saw and heard about Quinn Ewers, with his bleach-blonde mullet and short videos of him launching the ball 80 yards, I expected him to one day be like what Mateer displayed at Wazzu. Which is: a balls-to-the-wall dime dropper of dimes who can give his own fans a heart attack and a hallelujah on the same play.

McShay noted the passer “had weirdly good ball security for a guy who looked like he was playing in an insane asylum.” He’s right, Mateer surprisingly took care of the ball very well in Pullman, albeit against lesser competition in the tattered remnants of the Pac-12. Still, for a player who throws a ton but is low on mechanics and high on “make sh*t happen,” to only throw picks on 2% of his attempts is impressive.

But staying with Arbuckle probably means that Mateer continues to do what made him so successful last year. So Sooner fans will need to get ready for some “Hero Ball” against stiff opponents. Oklahoma plays Michigan in Norman in non-conference but has an SEC schedule which will see Texas, South Carolina, Alabama and LSU.

In the Cotton Bowl, the Little Elm’s attempt at knocking off a Longhorns defense with Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill and Michael Taaffe will require what amounts to an unconscious level of heroics. In reality, it should look more similar to 2017 Sam Ehlinger’s valiant effort against Baker Mayfield and company. That’s because the talent levels are miles apart right now.

My hottest take of this exercise might be that Mateer had better weapons surrounding him last year on the Cougars.

His number one wide receiver, Kyle Williams, became a third-round pick of the New England Patriots. Is there anyone on Oklahoma’s offense or receiving corps currently approaching that level?

Running back Jadyn Ott from Cal is a very nice player, but it remains to be seen what kind of workload Arbuckle gives him or what he can shoulder. The cupboard is empty at tight end. The receiver transfer exodus out of Norman was as large as the Jobe and their neighbors’ trek westward. But besides Nic Anderson (who had a strained relationship with Oklahoma to say the least), I don’t know that they’re sweating many of the losses on offense. Still, Oklahoma touting a commitment “return” video for slot receiver Deion Burks is like celebrating a child graduating kindergarten. FCS transfer Javonnie Gibson and homegrown Jayden Gibson are set to be his jumbo outside threats, but both are coming off injuries.

Their backups, Ivan Carreon and Jer’Michael Carter, are huge targets as well. Giant wideouts are a nice toy for a passer who will be majoring in Hero Ball, but I have my doubts it’ll translate to winning against Texas in October.

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Before I was familiar with Mateer’s game, I had hoped Oklahoma was getting a “one-read” Air Raid-raised scarecrow who would be engulfed by a defense like the Longhorns. But the Sooners have a much more dynamic player than that at the helm. A great season from Mateer which results in a Red River victory and exceeding expectations in the SEC are Venables’ only hope to stick around. The quarterback is enough of a gamer that he should be considered a potent threat, but whether or not he’s enough of one to keep Venables in Norman for another season remains to be seen.