Oklahoma
Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Said John Mateer Was ‘Really Good’ vs. Missouri
NORMAN — There were plenty of lowlights from John Mateer’s outing against Missouri on Saturday.
Of the 30 passes the Oklahoma quarterback threw, 16 of them went incomplete. He also nearly threw an interception early in the second half, when the Sooners led by just one score.
His final passing line — 14-of-30 for 173 yards and two touchdowns — wasn’t flashy. But it was good enough for No. 8 OU to beat the No. 22 Tigers 17-6.
“(He was) really good,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Had to earn everything he was given. Made some really good plays. Every single one of his yards were earned, hard-earned yards.”
While Mateer was inconsistent, he made key plays when the Sooners needed them most.
Oklahoma punted on its first three drives and had minus-7 total yards of offense after the first quarter.
The Sooners were in danger of going three-and-out again on their fourth drive. But on third-and-7 from OU’s 13-yard line, Mateer hit wide receiver Isaiah Sategna in stride on a slant route, and Sategna took it 87 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
“Really good job by John standing in there delivering the throw, and then Isaiah just turned on the burners going up the sideline,” OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “Really good execution on that play.”
Mateer said, “Really good design that Arbuckle came up with and we got man (coverage) like we wanted. And I knew there was a ‘backer underneath I had to navigate, and I did. Luckily, put it on his nose and he was able to run.”
Just a few minutes later, Mateer took advantage of favorable field position.
After a short Mizzou punt, the Sooners started their drive at the Tigers’ 35-yard line. Mateer led a seven-play scoring drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Javonnie Gibson.
Mateer’s two touchdown passes were enough on a day where the Sooners’ defense allowed Missouri to score just twice on two field goals.
“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Arbuckle said. “I’m proud of the way he leads, I’m proud of the way that he plays. Are there always things we can be better at? Absolutely. But John Mateer, he’s a great ball player.”
Neither offense played pretty football in the second half.
Oklahoma compiled only 138 total yards, and Missouri had even fewer at 122. Mateer completed only six of his 13 pass attempts, throwing for just 49 yards in the final 30 minutes.
Still, Mateer was crucial in helping OU salt away its win.
The Sooners scored just three second-half points, but they were able to register nine first downs, thanks largely to short passes and runs for decent gains. Mateer ended the game as OU’s leading rusher, finishing with 60 yards on 18 carries, and the quarterback’s legs allowed the clock to keep moving in the low-scoring contest.
“You just gotta put your head down and take a hit, you know?” Mateer said. “So I did it, and it was fun.”
Mateer still hasn’t been at his best since returning from injury against Texas on Oct. 11. The quarterback hasn’t thrown for more than 250 yards in a game since the Sooners’ win over Auburn on Sept. 20. He has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions in the six games since the surgery on his right hand.
Still, there has been progress lately.
Mateer threw multiple touchdown passes on Saturday for the first time since OU’s season opener against Illinois State. He has also gone two games without turning the ball over. And, most importantly, Mateer has led the Sooners to three wins in a row, keeping them in the picture for the College Football Playoff.
Mateer has slowly but steadily improved in the back half of the season, and that gives Arbuckle confidence as OU prepares for LSU, its final opponent of the regular season.
“I mean, playing insanely tough, not turning the ball over, doing the little things that it takes to win and being a great teammate and a great leader,” Arbuckle said. “That’s how I’ve seen him progress and I expect nothing different from him as soon as we go back to work tomorrow. And I’m excited to watch him attack it.”
Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — A new program in Oklahoma is giving adults another way to finish high school by allowing them to use past credits and test scores to earn a diploma, an option officials say could help thousands of people and strengthen the state’s workforce.
For years, adults in Oklahoma who did not finish high school largely had one main option: earning a GED. Now, Oklahoma CareerTech is rolling out the Career Readiness Diploma, a pathway designed to build on what students have already completed rather than requiring them to start over.
“So in Oklahoma right now, if you look at the demographics, we have about 279,000 people in our state without a high school diploma. So it’s almost 10% of our population doesn’t have a high school diploma,” said Lance Allee, an adult education and family literacy specialist with Oklahoma CareerTech.
Allee said the program allows adults to apply previously earned high school credit and combine different assessment scores into a single record to qualify for a diploma.
“It allows the student to use previously earned high school credit. So, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can take multiple assessment scores and put them into one portfolio to get your high school diploma,” Allee said.
The program is open to adults 21 and older. In some cases, officials said, participants can finish in just weeks, depending on how many credits they already have.
CareerTech officials say the program is also aimed at improving job prospects for individuals while helping Oklahoma remain competitive when attracting employers.
“When you’re a company and you’re looking at moving into Oklahoma, you look at the demographics and say, is there a workforce there that we can employ? And you say, well, about 10% of the population doesn’t have a diploma, they may start looking at states that surround us. So, we definitely want to get as many diplomas out there as we can,” Allee said.
The program started issuing diplomas in recent weeks, and officials said dozens more people are already in the process. For more information or to sign up click here.
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NORMAN — Cord Rager’s return comes at a pivotal time for Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they get their day three starter back in time for big road matchups against Auburn and Arkansas on the horizon, but the Sooners pitching strength, their rotational depth, is primed and ready for the test.
The freshman lefty finished with eight strikeouts and only gave up one hit in only 65 pitches before his day ended in the sixth.
No. 14 Oklahoma earn its first conference sweep of the season, defeating Missouri 8-4. It was OU’s fourth conference series win.
Oklahoma (27-12, 10-8) put their best foot forward as they turn the page to the meat of their schedule where they will do battle against No. 13, No. 20 and No. 16 over the next three weeks — two of those series’ on the road.
Four runs in five hits in the second got things rolling for the Sooners.
Camden Johnson continued his brilliant play of late with a triple in the second. This came after a Brenden Brock solo home run to put OU up 1-0. Deiten LaChance grounded out to short but scored Johnson. Dasan Harris and and Nolan Stevens each found home before the inning ended.
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OU found fortune from the plate again in the fourth. Four runs off of four hits highlighted by a three-run home run by Johnson put Oklahoma up 8-0. It was Johnson’s seventh home run of the season, second on the team behind Brock’s nine.
Trent Collier got the nod in the sixth to relieve Rager.
In the seventh, Missouri finally got on the board for the first time since the ninth inning of Friday night’s Sooner victory. Cam Durnin hit a solo shot — his fourht of the season — to make the score 8-1 in favor of the home team.
The Tigers got their third hit of the game shortly after. From there, Collier’s short day was done. Gavyn Jones came on to relieve
LaChance missed a home run by inches when Tiger center fielder Kaden Peer made a leaping catch, jumping into the fence.
In the eighth, the Tigers continued to chip away. With bases loaded, Blaze Ward hit a basehit to score two Missouri base runners. OU led 8-3 heading into the final inning.
Harris led the Sooners with three hits. His day was accented by an RBI, stolen base and a run.
Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to take on the No. 13 Tigers for a three game series starting on Friday. Before that, they will host Oral Roberts for a midweek game at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman. The Sooners won 4-0 against ORU earlier this season.
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