The honeymoon in Norman is officially over. Just one season after leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff, quarterback John Mateer heard the loudest boos of his Sooners career on Saturday — and they came early, often, and from a fan base that's clearly losing its patience.
It took all of three plays for the discontent to boil over. On his very first pass attempt against New Mexico, Mateer floated a pick that sent a jolt of frustration through Owen Field. The next drive wasn't much better: three plays, a punt, and a chorus of groans that could be heard from the student section to the suites.
Social media lit up faster than a scoreboard malfunction. Barstool Sooners didn't mince words: "I'm ready to say it. John Mateer fucking sucks." Another fan joked that Mateer runs like Adrian Peterson or Barry Sanders — "and by that I mean he runs like any given play where he's carrying the ball, he thinks could end in the endzone. The difference is that Mateer is wrong."
One observer noted, "John Mateer throws a pick and boos rain down on Owen Field. That might set a record for quickest boos I've ever heard in this place." Another added, "Mateer throws an interception on the third play of the game and the boo birds are out in Norman. Damn."
To his credit, Mateer didn't stay down. After those two disastrous opening drives, he settled in and completed all seven of his passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter, giving the Sooners a lead they wouldn't relinquish. But the damage to his standing with the fan base may already be done.
The context makes it worse. This is a team that looked lost in a loss to Michigan last week — a game that included a controversial facemask penalty that had fans fuming. Now, against a New Mexico squad that's been one of the worst in the country, the offense was sputtering against a defense that had no business slowing them down.
Even if Oklahoma cruises to a blowout win, the bigger picture looms: a road trip to Georgia next week, followed by Texas and a suddenly dangerous Kentucky team. That gauntlet will test every ounce of Mateer's resilience — and the crowd's tolerance for mistakes.
As one fan put it, "Maybe Oklahoma will pick up the pace and wind up blowing out New Mexico by 50 to 70 points. But with a road game against Georgia next week that will probably make or break their season, fans are going to have a hard time trusting Mateer to get the job done in Sanford Stadium."
The boos were a warning shot. Mateer has the talent to silence them, but in the SEC, patience is a luxury no one can afford.
