Norman was electric Saturday night as John Mateer delivered a debut for the ages, leading the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners to a dominant 35-3 win over Illinois State.
Mateer, a transfer from Washington State, shattered school history with 392 passing yards in his first game as a Sooner, breaking Baker Mayfield’s mark for the most yards in an OU debut. He went 30of-37 with three touchdowns and added a rushing score, setting the tone for what could be a special season.
Big nights from new faces Southern Illinois transfer Keontez Lewis wasted no time making his presence felt, hauling in nine passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Converted linebacker Jaren Kanak impressed at tight end, catching five passes for 90 yards, while Deion Burks added seven grabs for 88 yards and a score.
All told, the Sooners piled up 495 yards in Ben Arbuckle’s first game as offensive coordinator.
Defense slams the door
On the other side of the ball, Brent Venables’ defense suffocated Illinois State, allowing just 151 total yards, including only 34 through the air. The Redbirds’ lone points came on a third-quarter field goal after a rare Mateer interception. Looking ahead: Top-15 Showdown
OU now turns its attention to a massive Week 2 clash against No. 14 Michigan, who defeated New Mexico 34-17. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Norman, and ESPN’s College Gameday has announced it will broadcast live from campus.
The stage is set. The Sooners have momentum. And college football’s spotlight is heading to Norman.
Quick notes
OU redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer completed 30 of 37 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns. His passing yards set a record for a Sooner in his debut. Mateer also rushed 7 times for 24 yards and a 7-yard TD.
OU outgained Illinois State 495-151. ISU’s yardage was the lowest allowed by the Sooners since 2020 (Missouri State; 135).
The Sooners held the Redbirds to 10-of-20 passing for 34 yards, the fewest opponent passing yards since 2013 (Kansas; 16).
In his OU debut, redshirt senior receiver Keontez Lewis caught a game-high nine passes for 119 yards and two TDs.
Senior Jaren Kanak made his debut at tight end (started) and logged five receptions for 90 yards.
Redshirt senior receiver Deion Burks caught seven passes for 88 yards and a 27-yard TD, his longest reception as a Sooner.
Junior linebacker Sammy Omosigho registered a career-high eight tackles, including his first-career sack.
Sooners making their first career starts tonight were defensive backs Courtland Guillory and Michael Boganowski, and offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis.
Guillory became only the second OU true freshman to start at cornerback in a season opener (the other was P.J. Mbanasor in 2015). Guillory is also just the fourth OU true freshman to start a season opener as a defensive back, joining Mbanasor, Tony Jefferson in 2010 (safety), Brendan Radley-Hiles in 2018 (nickelback) and Billy Bowman Jr. in 2021 (nickelback).
Team Stats-ISU-OU Total Yards-151-495 Pass Yards-34-392 Rushing Yards – 117-103 Penalty Yards-10-35 1st Downs-8-23 3rd Downs-1-4 4th Downs-0-2 TOP-27:04-32:56
