John Mateer had big shoes to fill when he transferred to Oklahoma to replace former Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold. On Saturday night, he delivered.
Mateer threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and capped a clutch drive with a 9-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter, lifting No. 11 Oklahoma to a 24-17 win over No. 22 Auburn. The Sooners (4-0, 1-0 SEC) remained unbeaten heading into their bye week while spoiling Arnold’s first meeting against his old team.
Arnold, who led Oklahoma to last year’s upset of Alabama before transferring to Auburn, struggled against a relentless pass rush. The Tigers’ quarterback was sacked nine times—tying a Sooners school record—and finished with 220 passing yards and one touchdown. But he had nowhere to run, losing 11 yards on 20 carries.
The Sooners’ defensive line dominated, with defensive linemen accounting for 8 1/2 of the nine sacks. Jayden Jackson led with 2 1/2, and R Mason Thomas—returning in the second half after a targeting suspension—added two, including a late sack that resulted in a safety with 1:06 remaining to seal the win.
“Coach Venables told us this was going to come down to pressure,” Thomas said. “We knew if we got to Arnold, we’d control the game.”
Auburn’s late lead on Malcolm Simmons’ 4-yard touchdown run with 7:08 to play, followed by Alex McPherson’s extra point, gave the Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC) their first lead at 17-16. Mateer answers on the very next possession, Mateer engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive capped by his 9-yard touchdown run, putting Oklahoma ahead for good. Safety dagger with Auburn backed up in the final minutes, Thomas sacked Arnold in the end zone for a safety to close the scoring.
Isaiah Sategna had a breakout performance, catching nine passes for 127 yards and a 24-yard touchdown. The score came on a trick play in the second quarter where Sategna appeared to be leaving the field before breaking wide open. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said he attempted to call timeout but wasn’t granted one. Tate Sandell was steady in the kicking game, making three field goals. Grayson Miller, Oklahoma’s punter, flipped the field repeatedly, averaging 54.4 yards on five punts, with a long of 66.
Oklahoma’s defense, with Brent Venables calling plays, limited Auburn to just 287 total yards and 13 first downs. Beyond the sacks, the Sooners racked up 13 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Despite not forcing a single turnover all season, the unit has remained one of the nation’s most efficient, allowing only nine points off six Oklahoma giveaways.
Mateer’s lone mistake—a second-quarter fumble—resulted in only 14 Auburn yards before a punt.
Auburn: Faces another SEC test when it visits No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday. Oklahoma: Returns home to host Kent State on Oct. 4 after a bye week.
