Oklahoma makes decision on John Mateer after firing offensive coordinator
· Yahoo Sports
The Oklahoma Sooners made a major change to their offensive staff on Monday, firing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. But head coach Brent Venables isn’t giving up on his quarterback.
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During a press conference, Venables offered his support for John Mateer amid a rough stretch for the Sooners’ offense, though he also said that the team around Mateer needs to be better.
Oklahoma’s Struggles
Oklahoma entered the 2026 season hoping to return to the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Sooners are just 4-4 after a 42-25 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
The Sooners were among the most disappointing teams in college football even before the loss as the offense has hit 20 points in just three of seven games since a 51-0 season-opening win over UTEP.
Mateer has taken a lot of the blame. Through eight games, he has thrown for 1,835 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he was sacked three times against South Carolina. Oklahoma already had to make a decision on whether or not to bench Mateer back in October.
On Monday, the Sooners fired Arbuckle, who followed Mateer to Oklahoma from Washington State as a package deal. Jason Witten will take over as interim offensive coordinator.
“I have decided to make a change at offensive coordinator. My responsibility is to the whole team and what I believe is best for us right now. We need a change,” Venables said in a statement. “I believe we still have meaningful opportunities ahead and a responsibility to maximize them. Our expectations remain high and our commitment to meeting them is unwavering.”
‘Our Guys Believe in John’
Venables was also asked on Monday about Oklahoma’s quarterback depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 25 Florida. He didn’t directly address the position, but he made it clear that he still believes in Mateer.
“I think our guys believe in John,” Venables said, via SoonerScoop.
He added that the rest of the team has to step up around Mateer, too.
“We gotta play better, too. We gotta play better around him,” Venables said.
Earlier this season, Arbuckle took some of the blame for Mateer’s struggles with turnovers.
“Nobody likes turning the ball over three times, four times as an offense. Nobody likes turning it over. It always just comes back down to the basics and execution. Again, we have to continue coaching it. I have to continue being better,” Arbuckle said at the time.
Now, it will be up to Witten to get Mateer and the Oklahoma offense back on track.
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