The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in SEC play in the 2026 season, earning an upset road win against the Florida Gators. OU won 23-7 in Gainesville in their first trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in program history.
The Sooners bounced back after being embarrassed at home against South Carolina last week, showing a lot of toughness to go get a win in "The Swamp" at night. A swarming defense, complemented by an offense that seemed to know what it wanted to do, led to a game in which Oklahoma controlled the action for much of the evening.
As always, a few players stood out in the victory, which felt great after a tough seven days inside the Switzer Center. Here are three stars from OU's win under the lights against the Gators.
1. Owen Heinecke, LB
Linebacker Owen Heinecke is OU's leading tackler this season, and he was OU's leading tackler against Florida. It was a bounce-back night for the Sooners defense, which played poorly against the Gamecocks last week. Heinecke is one of the leaders of that group, and he had a very strong outing in primetime against the Gators.
Heinecke reeled in 10 total tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and half a sack. Short of one drive where the Gators ran the ball well against the Oklahoma defense, Heinecke and Co. gave up nothing else on the scoreboard. He earned an extra season of college ball in court this offseason, and he's made the most of it on an individual level through nine games.
2. John Mateer, QB
Quarterback John Mateer has been through a lot this season. Most of the fanbase has wanted him benched for two months. He underperformed against Michigan, New Mexico, Georgia, and South Carolina, not to mention the end of the Kentucky game. However, he beat Texas, played well against Mississippi State, and played well again versus Florida this week. He's seen the ups and downs, and he performed well against the Gators.
Additionally, he saw one of his closest friends, former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, fired on Monday, which was understandably hard on him.
Still, he made the plays he needed on Saturday night, showing resolve despite a poor season overall. Mateer hasn't been as good as OU needed him to be this year, but how many QBs in SEC history have won on the road in Neyland Stadium, Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in a two-year period? Mateer's done just that, and I'm willing to bet that list isn't very long.
3. Jason Witten, Interim Offensive Coordinator
Interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten learned on Monday that he'd been elevated to the role to replace Arbuckle. Despite having never called plays at the college level (and only coaching at the college level for eight games), he was now at the controls of the OU offense.
While it wasn't perfect, Witten's version of the Sooner attack looked more efficient, more effective, and more diverse, at least for one game. There was more balance and a commitment to getting more players involved in the passing game. Sure, it's just one game, and there are three more to go this year, but Witten should be lauded for his major role in helping the Sooners topple the Gators on the road.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 3 stars after the Oklahoma Sooners defeat the Florida Gators
