The Oklahoma Sooners were not good enough in their 17-10 loss in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. OU's defense was better in the second half after a rough first half, but the offense was unable to get the job done, resulting in the loss.
Much of the blame for the disappointing defeat falls on fifth-year starting quarterback John Mateer, who was dismal against the Wolverines. Despite the offseason chatter that he was much improved, he largely looked like the same player from a year ago on Saturday. On the whole, he wasn't good enough to get the win.
Mateer didn't get nearly enough help from his teammates on offense or from his offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, but being the starting QB at OU means that the blame or praise ultimately
falls on you.
After the game, Mateer took the blame for the loss and vowed to do better going forward. The Sooners bet big on Mateer this offseason, but he failed his first test of the year. Oklahoma still has faith in him, but they'll need him to improve in a big way to help turn the season back around.
"I’ll make it happen," Mateer said. "I don’t have a choice. This team needs me. This university needs me. I have to do it."
Oklahoma does need Mateer, and he will have to make it happen. Arbuckle and the rest of the offense can certainly do a better job of not making him have to do everything, but it is ultimately on Mateer to get a lot better.
This is still the same player who bounced back from three interceptions in the regular season finale last year to throw two touchdowns and help the Sooners beat LSU and get into the College Football Playoff. The player who showed that mental toughness is still in there somewhere. He's facing adversity earlier in the year than he expected, so he'll have to lean on that toughness to dig Oklahoma out of the hole it's dug for itself.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma QB John Mateer vows to improve after bad performance in loss
