Theres nothing like a college football rivalry game. Legacies are made, bragging rights are claimed and memories are created. The experience for all involved is unique, and its one of the reasons college football is the greatest sport on the planet.
This weeks Red River Rivalry is no different. No. 1 Texas will take on an Oklahoma team still searching for answers on offense, setting the stage for a fascinating quarterback matchup.Â
On one side is Texas QB Arch Manning, an early-season Heisman contender, carrying the weight of the Manning name and leading the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. On the other side is John Mateer, a signal-caller trying to find his footing and help get Oklahomas season back on track. But heres the interesting part: Take a closer look at the numbers between Manning and Mateer, and maybe they arent so far apart?Â
I’m going to dive into this matchup between quarterbacks and explain what Oklahoma can do to get Mateer back on track, as well as how Manning can better utilize a redone cheat code he has on his side.
Manning is the field general leading an undefeated Texas team, and whether you believe quarterback wins should count as a “stat” or not, an unbeaten record tends to give a QB the benefit of the doubt. But heres where the comparison gets interesting: Mateer has statistically played better in Oklahomas biggest games at Michigan and Georgia than Manning has in Texas marquee matchups against Ohio State and Tennessee this season.
That doesnt tell the whole story, though. Mannings numbers have been hurt by some costly drops from his receivers. Texas has had seven passes dropped this season, nearly twice as many as Oklahoma, and a couple of those misses have had a significant impact. Junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo leads Texas with three drops and should have had an easy touchdown against Ohio State after getting wide open down the field. In that same game, transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman also found himself wide open, only for what should have been a spectacular diving catch to somehow turn into a circus interception for the Buckeyes.
When a quarterback puts the ball in the right spot and his guys make the play, it builds trust and rhythm. Those two plays alone could have dramatically changed not only the game itself, but perhaps the way were talking about Mannings season through five weeks.
While Manning has been impacted by costly drops from his pass-catchers, Mateer has struggled to anticipate throws and find a consistent rhythm with his wide receivers. In fact, on Mateers longest touchdown pass of the season â a 53-yard strike to senior wideout Isaiah Sategna III in Oklahomas 14-6 win over New Mexico â the quarterback admitted he didnt even realize Sategna was wide open until he heard the crowd react to how wide open he was.
Yes, statistically, Manning and Mateer appear to be relatively close. But how theyve gotten there tells a much different story â and its a story Oklahoma will have to hope it has figured out over the course of the bye week if the Sooners want to take home the “Golden Hat.”
Whats most concerning is that this is Year 4 for Mateer in Ben Arbuckles offense. At this point, Mateer should be able to run this offense blindfolded. The fact that hes struggling to play from the pocket and anticipate throws is an issue, but its not all on Mateer.
Bottom line: Arbuckle has to devise a better plan to help his wide receivers create separation. According to PFF, Oklahoma has the fewest targets with separation in the SEC, and that shows up on film. Incorporate more bunches, stacks and pre-snap shifts and motion to help create leverage for the intended targets. Give Mateer a pre-snap coverage indicator by displacing a running back or tight end outside the formation. That simple adjustment forces the defense to show its hand: Is it playing man or zone?
Getting that answer in the passing game is half the battle. If its man, you typically hav
