FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt isn’t questioning Oklahoma’s 2–0 start, but he is sounding the alarm on how the Sooners are using quarterback John Mateer.
Speaking on The Joel Klatt Show, Klatt warned that Oklahoma’s offense might be putting too much on Mateer’s shoulders this early in the season.
“The hard part is that if you’re trying to go through that schedule and Mateer’s getting 40 or 50 touches like 19 in the run game and another 30 throwing the football, he’s going to be exposed too much,” Klatt said. “Their schedule still includes Auburn. It still includes Red River with Texas. It still includes South Carolina. It still includes Ole Miss. It’s going to be tough.”
Mateer has been productive through two games, passing for 662 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 98 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. But Klatt emphasized that Oklahoma’s running backs must step up if the team is going to survive its SEC gauntlet.
“What are you going to do, by the way, not even to mention Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, LSU,” Klatt added. “They’re going to have to run the football with their backs a lot better because Mateer can’t put on a cape in every one of those games.”
"Mateer can't put on a cape in every one of those games."
More from @joelklatt on Oklahoma with their 8 remaining SEC opponents currently ranked in the Top 25. pic.twitter.com/WpnAXJ00rj
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) September 8, 2025
The junior quarterback has quickly become the centerpiece of the Sooners’ attack, but Oklahoma fans know the danger of over-reliance in a conference as physical as the SEC. Klatt’s comments echo concerns from last season, when the offense struggled in games where quarterback production dipped.
Oklahoma football will try to move to 3–0 when it visits Temple on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2. That matchup could be an opportunity to test the run game and ease the load on Mateer before the Sooners' schedule turns more punishing with a showdown against Auburn later this month.