The College Football Playoff kicked off with a bang Friday night, and it was the No. 9 seed Oklahoma Sooners who drew first blood against No. 8 Alabama. Quarterback John Mateer wasted no time making his presence felt, slicing through the Crimson Tide defense for an 8-yard touchdown run that gave the Sooners an early 7-0 lead with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
The score capped off a sharp 8-play, 59-yard drive that showcased both Mateer’s poise and Oklahoma’s offensive rhythm. The play itself was a read option that looked like it was headed to the outside-until Mateer made a decisive cut upfield, slipping past a would-be tackler and finding daylight in the end zone. It was a savvy, instinctive move-one that reminded everyone why Oklahoma trusts Mateer to lead the charge in high-stakes moments.
That possession chewed up nearly four minutes of clock and ended with kicker Tate Sandell drilling the extra point to complete the sequence.
Early on, Mateer was doing it all. By the time he crossed the goal line, he had already racked up 26 rushing yards on five carries, leading the Sooners on the ground.
More telling? At that point in the game, Mateer had personally accounted for 78 total yards-while Alabama’s entire offense had managed just five.
That’s a tone-setter if there ever was one.
Coming into the game, Mateer had logged 130 carries for 416 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground across the season. Through the air, he’d thrown for 2,578 yards and 12 touchdowns, though he’d also been picked off 10 times in 11 games. He missed one contest earlier in the year after suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand during a 24-17 win over Auburn back in September-a setback that required surgery.
But any questions about that hand were put to rest in the lead-up to this playoff clash. Mateer practiced all week without a wrap on the surgically repaired hand, and his early performance against Alabama showed no signs of lingering issues. If anything, he looked sharp, confident, and fully in command.
For Oklahoma, getting on the board first against a storied program like Alabama isn’t just about points-it’s about momentum. And with Mateer leading the charge, the Sooners came out looking like a team ready to make some noise in this playoff run.