The Oklahoma Sooners' quest for an undefeated season just came to an end as the Sooners fell to a 3-2 Texas Longhorns team that had a ton of concerns. The big story coming into this game was the health of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer who had hand surgery following the Auburn game missing the Kent State game.
Despite having surgery just 17 days ago, Brent Venables and his staff made the decision to start John Mateer. The decision was a massive risk as keeping Mateer healthy for the rest of the season was far more important than winning one game. The big risk by Brent Venables ended up costing his team on Saturday.
Starting John Mateer against Texas was a massive mistake
On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners suffered their first loss of the season, falling 23-6 in a game where the offense clearly wasn't on the same page. The Texas defense is one of the best in the Country, and for that reason alone it was a massive risk as one hit to Mateer's hand could fully derail the season.
Mateer was clearly rusty after spending time away from football, as he went just 20-38 passing for 202 yards and 3 interceptions. It was also clear that Mateer wasn't as effective as a rusher, while he held onto the ball far too long, taking 5 sacks. It's hard to fault Mateer for playing poorly, as he likely never should've played in this game.
The right decision for Brent Venables would've been either starting Michael Hawkins or putting him into the lineup at halftime when it was clear Mateer wasn't 100%. The Sooners couldn't get their rushing attack going at all in this game, and adding a dynamic runner to the lineup in Hawkins would've been a boost.
The Sooners are now 5-1, and this loss will certainly knock them out of the Top 10 in the AP Poll. Mateer and the offense now need to find a way to get back on track, as this season that had so much promise could end up taking a sudden turn.