Oklahoma’s offense may be getting a tougher kind of preparation than most teams can offer, and quarterback John Mateer says that’s been a real advantage.
The Sooners’ defense, built by head coach Brent Venables, is the kind of unit that forces answers on every snap. Venables, now in his fifth year, is known for an aggressive scheme and constant pressure, and Mateer is seeing that stress every day in practice.
That daily work has left him feeling ready for just about anything.
"That defense is really good," Mateer said on 'See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack.'" They do a lot of things.
I have to see everything. Adjust it, process it, get the ball where it needs to be.
So, practice, it's difficult. But just seeing more and more reps.
Like, I don't think there's anything I'll see that I've never actually seen before. But that is not the case for everybody else."
That kind of exposure matters for a quarterback trying to lead an offense that has a lot to prove. Oklahoma’s attack was No. 92 nationally in total offense and No. 113 in rushing offense last season, numbers the Sooners know have to move in the right direction if their 2025 playoff appearance is going to mean something bigger.
The offense has already gone through changes to try to fix that. But the defense might be providing a different sort of help - one that doesn’t show up on the depth chart. Repping against a defense this demanding can make game day feel more manageable, and it can speed up the growth of both a quarterback and the unit around him.
Oklahoma doesn’t need the offense to become elite all at once. It just needs it to do enough to pair with what should again be a strong defense.
If Mateer keeps getting sharpened by those practice battles with Venables’ group, the Sooners may end up with the kind of balance they were missing a year ago. That would make them a tougher team to deal with in 2026.
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