Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer delivered two touchdown passes and Oklahoma’s eighth-ranked Sooners powered past No. 23 Missouri, 17-6, on Saturday, extending one of the program’s most impressive November surges in recent memory.
Coming off back-to-back road wins over Tennessee and Alabama, Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 8 CFP) secured its third straight victory over a ranked opponent and its fifth against a team that held a national ranking at the time of their matchup. It wasn’t a flashy offensive night—OU finished with just 276 total yards—but it was a complete, steady performance that checked every box the Sooners needed.
Mateer finished 14-of-30 for 173 yards, adding 60 yards on the ground while steering the offense with grit. Isaiah Sategna turned in one of the plays of the season, turning a short pass into an electric 87yard sprint that ignited the crowd and gave the Sooners their first lead. Sategna ended the night with three catches for 109 yards and a score.
Oklahoma’s defense once again proved to be the backbone of the team’s late-season run. The Sooners held Missouri (7-4, 3-4 SEC, No. 22 CFP) to 301 total yards, completely shutting out the Tigers after halftime. Taylor Wein anchored the defensive effort with 1.5 sacks, multiple tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.
Missouri running back Ah- mad Hardy entered the day as the nation’s rushing leader at 134.6 yards per game and was fresh off a monstrous 300yard outing. Oklahoma smothered him from the second quarter on, limiting him to 57 yards on 17 carries—including just 12 yards over his final nine attempts. Missouri managed only 70 total rushing yards on 35 carries, their lowest output of the season.
Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula, returning from an ankle injury, threw for 231 yards but was picked off twice and constantly pressured by OU’s front. Kevin Coleman Jr. provided Missouri’s biggest spark with 115 receiving yards.
Missouri opened the game with a field goal and attempted to stretch the lead midway through the first quarter, but Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen blew up the Tigers’ 35-yard attempt with a clutch block. Two plays later, Sategna broke loose for his 87-yard touchdown, flipping momentum firmly to the Sooners. Mateer later connected with Javonnie Gibson on an 8-yard strike that pushed OU ahead 143. Oklahoma carried a 14-6 lead into the break.
The Sooners added to their advantage behind reliable kicker Tate Sandell, who drilled a 45-yarder in the third quarter to extend his school-record streak to 22 straight makes. It also marked his 15th make of at least 40 yards this season.
Even after a targeting ejection left Oklahoma short-handed in the secondary, Jacobe Johnson responded immediately with a momentumswinging interception that halted Missouri’s hopes of climbing back into the game.
The Sooners once again showed their second-half toughness, not allowing a point after halftime for the fourth time this season. Only three teams—Illinois State, Auburn and Alabama—managed more than a touchdown against OU after the break all year.
Mateer’s fourth-quarter rushing helped seal the win, as he picked up 44 of his 60 yards in the final period while OU’s defense closed the door.
With Missouri behind them, the Sooners now turn their focus toward LSU as postseason stakes rise even higher. Oklahoma returns home next Saturday to host the Tigers at Gaylord Family–Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
TEAM STATS MIZ – OKL
• Total Yards: 301
/ 276
• Pass Yards: 231 /
173
• Rushing Yards: 70 / 103
• Penalty Yards: 51
/ 80
• 1st Downs: 19 / 14
• 3rd Downs: 3 / 6
• 4th Downs: 0 / 0
• TOP: 32:48 / 27:12
