John Mateer made his presence felt at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City, and he made sure Texas noticed.
When the camera landed on the Sooners quarterback, Mateer flashed the horns down, a familiar jab in the rivalry and a clear message for the crowd and anyone pulling against Oklahoma from Austin.
Mateer’s move came during last night’s event, and it quickly drew attention online. The gesture fit the moment for an OU player in front of a home crowd, and it also gave Texas fans another reason to bristle.
There’s no mystery about the reaction that kind of thing tends to get. Any time someone tied to Oklahoma pops up on TV and throws horns down, it’s going to set off Longhorn fans. Mateer has already given them something to talk about after a season in which he was in the playoffs while Texas was not.
The source of the frustration for Texas fans also goes back to Mateer’s play in last year’s postseason, when he struggled after coming in compromised by a broken hand. Oklahoma fans appreciated that he tried to come back and help the team, but the performance never really had a chance to match the moment.
Now the calendar points to October 10, and that’s where Mateer’s trolling will have to meet the field. If he’s healthy, he’ll need to back it up in Dallas.
What happens there will shape how his time at Oklahoma is remembered. Texas has won the last two meetings, and that reality hangs over everybody in Norman. Brent Venables is in the same boat, because this game carries real weight for his reputation too.
For Mateer and the Sooners, the message is simple: the horns down is easy. Beating Texas is the part that matters.
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