NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Peyton Bowen knows a struggling quarterback when he sees one. The Oklahoma defensive back shared a locker room with Jackson Arnold, who played his way out of Norman two season ago, and John Mateer, who may have played his way out of the Sooners' starting lineup with No. 1 Texas coming up this weekend.
Bowen sees similarities between the paths traveled by Arnold, the can't-miss prospect from Denton, Texas, and Mateer, the highly touted transfer from Washington State. Bowen and Arnold were five-star recruits at Guyer High School before signing with Oklahoma.
“Being his friend from high school and seeing how much he was on a pedestal to just being thrown tomatoes at, damn near, I mean it sucks," he said. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. I don’t think people know the effect of the words they’re saying and just think that they’re coaches and stuff and play ball. This is a whole different thing, like (John) is a human being, so I know what he’s going through. I’ve seen what he’s going through.”
While Arnold failed to live up to expectations and transferred to Auburn following the 2024 season, Mateer's stock has plummeted with six turnovers in three games, including two fumbles and an interception in a 41-13 loss at No. 2 Georgia.
At this time a year ago, Mateer was considered a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Then came the 23-6 loss to the archrival Longhorns, where he completed 50% of his passes for just 202 yards and threw three interceptions in his first loss since arriving on campus.
This time, the Texas game presents an opportunity but the Sooners (2-2, 0-1 SEC) are averaging just over 12 points per game over their last three and Texas (4-0, 1-0) has the nation's 22nd-ranked defense.
It is unclear if Mateer will start or how much he will play. Coach Brent Venables said lsat Wednesday that backups Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley “took a lot of the reps today.” Venables was asked if either would play against the Longhorns.
“I have no idea," he said. “We're not there right now ... John's our starting quarterback.”
Newbauer is a 6-foot-6 junior who played at Mercer University last season while Bentley is a 6-1 freshman from Celina, Texas.
“We've got great belief in them, trust in them,” Venables said. “There's a body of work that both of those guys, both Bowe and Whit, have put out there and for us to evaluate. They're doing a nice job, they're working hard, improving incrementally and doing all the things that we want our quarterback to do as a whole, as a group.”
Bowen and Mateer are senior captains and neighbors who frequently hang out together. Bowen stressed the importance of continuing to “lift up” his embattled teammate.
“I go over there and check on (John) all the time,” he said. “I try to help him as much as I can. I mean, that's a hard spot to be in. I know the type of player that he is and the type of player that he can be, and there’s a long season ahead.”
Bowen added: “I think he just has to get his swagger back. ... He’s a great leader, a great teammate, great ballplayer. He just has to get out of his own head right now and that’s all it is.”
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