Oklahoma didn’t just beat Florida on Saturday night. It wore the Gators down, possession by possession, until the game finally cracked open in the fourth quarter.
The defining sequence started with 2:41 left in the third quarter and didn’t end for another 12 minutes and 45 seconds. By the time John Mateer found Isaiah Sategna III on a 6-yard touchdown pass, the Sooners had strung together a 20-play, 89-yard march that put them up 13 and put the game out of reach. According to SoonerStats.com, it was the longest drive by time and plays in at least 18 years.
That was the kind of night it was for OU in a 23-7 win over No. 24 Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten’s offense looked different from the opening series and kept getting better as the night went on. The Sooners finished with 352 yards and scored on their first two possessions for the first time in an SEC game since joining the conference.
They found the end zone on three of their four first-half possessions.
The efficiency numbers told the story, too. Oklahoma went 10 for 18 on third down and converted its lone fourth-down try. Its two longest drives, by both time and plays, were the marathon in the fourth quarter and a 15-play, 84-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.
Mateer was at the center of it all. After last week’s rough outing in a loss to South Carolina, the quarterback responded with one of his best performances of the season.
He completed 21 of 33 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 56 yards. His mentor, Ben Arbuckle, was fired Monday, but Mateer looked sharp when the Sooners needed him most.
On the critical fourth-quarter possession, he went 6 for 7 for 50 yards and a touchdown, and added 23 rushing yards.
The defense had its own swing moment when Owen Heinecke blasted Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. as he threw toward the end zone, and Courtland Guillory came away with the interception. Heinecke was everywhere for Oklahoma, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles, plus half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Brent Venables greeted him on the sideline after the play.
Jacob Jordan kept moving the chains when Oklahoma needed it. The junior receiver came through on third down four times, including an 18-yard catch on the game-sealing drive. He finished with four receptions for 36 yards.
And the Sooners got their first touchdown from a familiar face in an unfamiliar setting. Witten’s first scoring call as interim offensive coordinator was a trick play: Mateer faked to Tory Blaylock, then sold a reverse to Isaiah Sategna III before finding Hayden Hansen alone in the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Hansen, who transferred to OU in January after four years at Florida, recorded his second touchdown of the season. It was a fitting first touchdown call for Witten, and it went to a tight end.
Oklahoma, now 5-4, returns home next Saturday to face No. 10 Ole Miss at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Ole Miss lost to Georgia on Saturday night.
In Other News...
Jason Witten Just Changed The Feel Around Oklahomas Offense
Oklahomas offense looked noticeably different in its first game under Jason Witten, and that alone was enough to change the mood around the program. After Brent Venables moved on from Ben Arbuckle and elevated Witten from tight ends coach to interim offensive coordinator, the Sooners responded with an upset of No. 24 Florida, putting together a more composed showing than they had managed during the earlier offensive struggles.
The improvement showed up in the details that usually decide close games, from a long scoring drive to better clock management late. It was only one game, but for a unit that had been searching for stability, Wittens first turn calling the shots offered Oklahoma a cleaner, more confident look and left the bigger question hanging over what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Offensive Shakeup Suddenly Looks A Lot More Serious
Oklahomas 23-7 win at Florida did more than steady the Sooners after a rocky stretch. It also gave Brent Venables offensive shakeup some immediate credibility, with Jason Witten stepping in as interim offensive coordinator and helping guide a unit that looked noticeably sharper in the first half. Oklahoma scored on three of its four opening drives, a welcome change for a team that had been searching for rhythm as it worked to get back above water in the Big 12 race.
The timing matters because this was not just a clean win, but a road win in a place where Oklahoma needed to show some poise. The defense did its part by keeping Floridas ground game under control, limiting Jaden Baugh to 35 yards on eight carries, and the Sooners left Gainesville at 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. What comes next for the offense will say a lot about whether this was a one-game spark or the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
John Mateer Turned Oklahomas Toughest Week Into A Statement Win
The week around Oklahomas win over Florida carried more than the usual pressure of a conference game. Ben Arbuckle, who had built a close relationship with quarterback John Mateer, was fired after a disappointing 2026 season, and the news landed hard in a locker room that had already been dealing with the usual strain of trying to steady itself in November. Mateer spoke emotionally about the move after the victory, a reminder that football decisions can ripple well beyond the depth chart.
Brent Venables tried to make one thing clear in the aftermath: Arbuckles firing was not tied to Mateers performance. Even so, the timing gave the Sooners statement win a different feel, with the quarterback asked to process a personal loss while helping deliver a result the program badly needed. For Oklahoma, the on-field response mattered, but so did the way the moment exposed how much the seasons biggest decisions are still being felt inside the building. [Read more 🡒]