The Oklahoma Sooners continue to roll through their 2025 schedule following a 33-27 victory vs. the No. 14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The narrow win improved the Sooners' record to 7-2 and secured a much-needed win against a ranked opponent for Oklahoma football. However, the win almost did not come to be in the late fourth quarter. Leading 26-17 with a chance to put the game away, Sooners' quarterback John Mateer threw a crucial interception to linebacker Edwin Spillman that set the Volunteers up for an improbable comeback.
Tennessee scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, making the score 26-24. After a failed onside kick attempt, the Sooners' offense answered with a touchdown of their own, erasing Tennessee's comeback bid.
Despite the win, Mateer's interception caught the ire of the media, but Sooners' offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle took the pressure off his quarterback by taking full blame for the mishap.
“Yeah, at the end of the day, that was my fault,” Arbuckle told reporters after the game via George Stoia III of On3 Sports. “I mean, I called a run play there. [Tennessee] had eight humans in the box. They pretty much had nine humans in the box, bringing cover zero. I gave the option to throw the ball right there. It's nobody else's fault but mine. I got to be better in that moment and in that situation. I know that, and that's a good learning moment right there. That one was on me.”
Ben Arbuckle takes the blame for John Mateer’s late-game interception against Tennessee. Says he gave Mateer the option to throw it. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/6m5R4pxCLr
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) November 10, 2025
Mateer has had an up-and-down 2025 campaign. Getting off to a quick 4-0 start, Mateer looked like a Heisman favorite with 11 total touchdowns and big wins against the ranked Michigan Wolverines and Auburn Tigers. After undergoing surgery for a broken bone in his throwing hand, Mateer returned to a lackluster performance against the Texas Longhorns, throwing three interceptions.
Since reentering the starting lineup, Mateer has seen a dip in his production, and his turnovers have risen. In stark contrast to his hot start, Mateer has scored just three touchdowns and thrown four interceptions. Although Oklahoma was able to overcome his late-game blunder against Tennessee, it is something the junior quarterback needs to clean up ahead of a College Football Playoff bid.
