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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Oklahoma's decision to fire offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle came after another disappointing performance, a 42-25 loss to South Carolina in which the Sooners' offense managed just three points in the first half. The move put an abrupt end to Arbuckle's second season in Norman and put tight ends coach Jason Witten in charge as interim OC and playcaller.
The decision also created immediate questions about the quarterback position given Arbuckle's relationship with John Mateer, who both came over together from Washington State before the 2025 season. With Mateer in the midst of a disappointing season at Oklahoma, and the Sooners sitting at 4-4 and ranking near the bottom of the SEC in scoring and total offense, it was speculated the team could make a change at quarterback.
Despite that, Oklahoma is expected to stick with Mateer for Saturday night's matchup against No. 24 Florida. On3's George Stoia and Pete Nakos reported that Mateer took most of the first-team reps during practice this week, with the plan remaining for him to start against the Gators.
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Mateer is a fifth-year quarterback who transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State before last season, coming over with Arbuckle, who previously served as his OC with the Cougars. Mateer impressed in 2024, his final season at Washington State, throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with seven interceptions, and helped Oklahoma reach the College Football Playoff in his first season with the Sooners.
However, his 2026 season hasn't been what fans expected. Through eight games, Mateer has completed 162 of 247 passes (65.6%) for 1,835 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions. More importantly, he's rushed for just 145 yards, far off from the 431 rushing yards and eight rushing scores he posted last season, and the 826 yards and 15 touchdowns he rushed for in his final year at Washington State.
Saturday's game will be an important test for Mateer as it will be his first without Arbuckle, and the team needs to start stacking wins fast. At 4-4, Oklahoma needs two more wins in its last four games to become bowl-eligible. After Florida, the Sooners will host No. 10 Ole Miss and Texas A&M before closing their season on the road at No. 18 Missouri.
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