Oklahoma holds off Michigan: John Mateer dazzles on big stage as No. 18 Sooners outlast No. 15 Wolverines

John Mateer looks every bit of a top-tier, gun-slinging quarterback, but there's one caveat: that side-arm release also gets him in trouble.

The Oklahoma quarterback -- by way of Washington State -- threw some beautiful darts, but it's that release that leads to long balls looking more like throwing darts than soft, high-arching throws into his receiver's bread baskets. Three such throws were tipped tonight, and one should have been intercepted despite being tipped and juggled by a Michigan defensive back. His interception in the first half was a simple misfire on a howitzer, yet again a result of his strong arm and throwing motion.

Again, Mateer did a lot of great things tonight, and he may very well be a Heisman Trophy contender later this season, but those low fastballs will lead to more incompletions or, worse, game-changing interceptions.

Mateer was sensational in the victory, showing every bit of why Oklahoma invested big money in his addition from Washington State. His top passing targets, Deion Burks and Jaren Kanak, were serious weapons in both the pass and blocking game. 

Outside of Mateer, though, the results were fairly mixed. Mateer was directly responsible for 334 of Oklahoma's 408 yards. Players outside of Mateer rushed for only 64 yards on 3.4 yards per carry. Oklahoma's offensive line allowed eight tackles for loss and a sack in a win. Michigan has a strong defensive front, but the production isn't good enough for when SEC play starts. 

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood started his first game on the road and showed moments of brilliance against an aggressive defense. Underwood threw for 142 yards and bought time with his legs, especially on a 44-yard completion to Donaven McCulley. 

But while Underwood has shown plenty with his arms, his lack of running in this game stood out. Underwood did not have a true designed rushing attempt in the game to take advantage of his massive 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame. Certainly, priority is put on trying to keep him healthy, but these are the kinds of games where you need all your wrinkles to show up. 

Mateer was aggressive running the ball, carrying it 19 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Underwood? Three carries for -1 yard. Without many other reliable playmakers outside of Underwood and running back Justice Haynes, Underwood's legs have to become a factor. 

No. 18 Michigan outlasted No. 15 Michigan 24-13 behind a strong effort from quarterback John Mateer. The Washington State transfer was critical, posting 266 yards passing, 74 yards rushing and all three Oklahoma touchdowns in the win. 

The Sooners had the ball late in the fourth quarter and were able to string together a massive 15-play, 69-yard drive to set up a game-sealing 21-yard field goal by kicker Tate Sandell that pushed the lead to two scores. Twelve of Oklahoma's 16 plays on the drive were rushes. 

Michigan played on its heels for much of the night as the dual-threat Mateer caused issues for their defense. The Wolverines trailed 14-0 at the end of the second quarter. A 75-yard rushing score by running back Justice Haynes helped get them back into the game, but Mateer took advantage of a short field for his third touchdown. 

Returning receiver Deion Burks and converted tight end Jaren Kanek emerged as Mateer's favorite targets in the win. They combined for 170 yards and a touchdown on 12 combined catches in the win. Linebacker Kendal Daniels also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss in a strong performance. 

First-year Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was poised in the pocket, but completed only 9-of-24 passes for 142 yards in his first road game. Michigan running back Justice Haynes added 125 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Wolverines had eight tackles for loss of their own in the loss. 

Mid 4Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 13

Oklahoma is finding some room to run around the edges as the Sooners try to ice this game with another score.

John Mateer picked up 19 yards on a nifty run over the right side and later Isaiah Sategna picked up eight yards over the right side as well. The Sooners are driving with less than 7 minutes remaining, now down to OU's 36.

Early 4Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 13

Oklahoma keeps opening the door for Michigan to walk through and steal this game after building double-digit leads twice.

OU's Tate Sandell just missed a 42-yard field goal wide to the left with 12:32 remaining in regulation. 

The drive nearly ended with a touchdown, but a well-placed ball from John Mateer bounced off the outstretched fingertips of Ivan Carreon on the right side of the end zone.

End 3Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 13

Michigan is back in this with an impressive turnaround on offense in the third quarter. The Wolverines piled up 143 yards, including 98 on the ground (75 via a TD run by Justice Haynes), to pull back within a score.

Oklahoma was limited to 75 yards and was 1 of 3 on third downs. Interestingly, Michigan was worse, converting only one of five third-down attempts but the Sooners gave the Wolverines great field position with a muffed punt and then another miscue on a kick return that helped set up a short field for Michigan on the ensuing possession, which took advantage again with another field goal.

Late 3Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 13

Michigan is back within a score after Dominic Zvada's 35-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The drive featured some hard running by Justice Haynes and an incredible catch by Donaven McCulley in the middle of the field. With a 6-inch height advantage, the 6-foot-5 receiver snagged the ball over the turned back Omarion Robinson, pinning the ball against the body for a 44-yard gain down to OU's 33-yard line.

Later, Underwood missed a wide-open receiver down the left hash for a would-be touchdown. There appeared to be a miscommunication there as he threw wide toward the corner of the end zone as the receiver went upfield. 

Mid 3Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 10

A muffed punt by Oklahoma's Isaiah Sategna helped Michigan get on the scoreboard in the second half. Dominic Zvada drilled a 42-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-10.

Michigan managed only eight yards after Sategna's miscue at the 31-yard line.

On the ensuing kickoff., Oklahoma returner Jadyn Ott allowed a bouncing ball to go over his head near the right sideline. He fielded it and was stopped at the 7-yard line, during the Sooners' offense deep. Michigan has some momentum.

Mid 3Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 7

Oklahoma's defense has been playing with its hair on fire since allowing a 75-yard touchdown run to open the second half, but punt returner Isaiah Sategna just erased a great defensive possession by muffing a punt at his own 31-yard line.

Michigan is still trailing 21-7, trying to make this a game with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Early 3Q: Oklahoma 21, Michigan 7

It's the John Mateer Show tonight in Norman.

The quarterback is doing it all here, by land and air, and just scored his second rushing touchdown — a 10-yarder around the right side — to give the Sooners a 21-7 lead with 10:12 remaining in the third quarter. 

As mentioned in the previous update, Mateer played with fire on a throw earlier in the drive, but delivered big time on the ensuing play and then capped off the five-play, 51-yard scoring drive with his 10-yard run.

Mateer is 14 of 22 passing for 200 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He's up to 38 yards and two scores on 11 carries. He is the Sooners' leading rusher.

Early 3Q: Oklahoma 14, Michigan 7

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is special, but he struggles to get air underneath his deep throws, which is a bad thing against big defensive backs. He nearly paid dearly with a dart down the left hash in a tipped ball that should have been intercepted. 

But, as Mateer does, he fired back one play later with an absolute dart to Isaiah Sategna III for a 44-yard pass to Michigan's 14-yard line. He was initially ruled out at the 5, but video review showed he stepped out of bounds at the 14.

Mateer's side-arm motion makes it difficult for him to get air underneath the ball, but it's not a problem when his receiver has one to two steps on the corners. That's what happened with Sategna and he came up big with the catch.

Let's see if OU can score a touchdown.

Early 3Q: Oklahoma 14, Michigan 7

Michigan needed only the firs play on offense in the second half to get back in this game.

Michigan put seven men on the ine of scrimmage, shifted two linemen and a fullback from the right side to the left, and fullback Max Bredeson then did a beautiful job kicking back inside behind the right guard to lead block. The beauty of the play? Haynes followed Bredeson to the right but then cut back to the left to run around the left side untouched for the monstrous 75-yard touchdown run, the longest by Michigan since 2022.

We've got a ball game.

Halftime: Oklahoma 14, Michigan 0

It's only halftime, but Michigan's missed field goal late in the second quarter felt like a turning point.

The Sooners marched down the field on the ensuing possession, scoring a touchdown on John Mateer's 2-yard keeper to stretch the lead to 14-0 with 22 seconds remaining. Meanwhile, there was turmoil on the Michigan sideline.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood and running back Justice Haynes got into a verbal tiff on the sideline following a third-down play in the red zone late in the second quarter that was blown up the the Sooners -- the play just before the missed field goal.

Underwood followed Haynes along the sideline, but the running back appeared to ignore him as his quarterback trailed him. The two finally got face-to-face, with tight end Marlin Klein standing in the middle, as the two shouted at each other. The altercation occurred just after that third-down play, which seemed out of sorts with a misfired ball on a route that never seemed to be there. Was it an RPO designed to give the ball to Haynes?

Overall, this game has been all Oklahoma. The Sooners' defensive front has effectively shut down the Wolverines on the ground. Michigan has only 2.3 yards per carry, led by Haunes' 36 yards on 12 carries. Underwood was somewhat impressive early, but cooled after a pair of big throws, and has 76 yards on 5 of 10 passing. He has not run the ball.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma improved its rushing numbers when Jovante Barnes broke off a 10-yard run on first down during the Sooners' final touchdown drive. Oklahoma has 61 yards on 18 carries.

Mateer has been the big story. He's 12 of 18 passing for 160 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

Michigan will get the ball out of halftime. The Wolverines need a good drive to set the tone and keep the ball out of OU's hands.

Late 2Q: Oklahoma 14, Michigan 0

John Mateer capped an impressive drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Sooners a 14-0 lead with 22 seconds remaining before halftime.

The 10-play, 80-yard drive began after Michigan missed a field goal that would have cut the lead to 7-3. 

Mateer was responsible for 49 of those yards, both through the air and on the ground. He hit Deion Burks for 22 yards on second-and-2, setting up the Sooners at the 4-yard line. 

Mateer's quick strikes have been marvelous tonight, and Burks has been the beneficiary. He's up to 92 yards and a touchdown on six catches. He's been targeted nine times.

Late 2Q: Oklahoma 7, Michigan 0

Dominic Zvada missed a 32-yard field goal from the left hash to keep the Sooners ahead 7-0 with 3:17 remaining. Zvada's kick hooked left, missing by just a little.

The missed kick ended a promising drive, which included a third-and-1 conversion by Justice Haynes on a 1-yard run and a great pass by Bryce Underwood to a wide-open Channing Goodwin in open space on the left side for 25 yards.

Sooners take over, trying to extend the lead before halftime. 

Michigan offensive lineman Giovanni El-Havidi was injured on a third-down conversion with 5:24 remaining. He was assisted off the field by trainers as he hobbled to the sideline. 

This has been a hard-hitting game in the trenches, with neither team getting much on the ground (as mentioned in an update below). 

Mid 2Q: Oklahoma 7, Michigan 0

Both teams are having a difficult time running the ball, and with John Mateer's rhythm off a bit since an interception, we're at a bit of a defensive stalemate midway through the second quarter.

Oklahoma is averaging 2.7 yards per carry, and Michigan is at 1.7 yards per carry, with 7:30 remaining in the first half. 

We knew both defensive lines were formidable coming into Saturday, but this has been impressive. Neither offense has been able to produce much between the tackles, and when they try to stretch the ball from sideline to sideline, linebackers are chasing them down. 

End 1Q: Oklahoma 7, Michigan 0

John Mateer has been impressive, but his first mistake was a significant one: a misfire down the field that was intercepted by Michigan's TJ Metcalf.

The Wolverines get another shot here at their own 38-yard line. 

Mateer is 7 of 12 for 114 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He's also rushed four times for 14 yards and is the Sooners' leading rusher.

Late 1Q: Oklahoma 7, Michigan 0

Bryce Underwood showed why he's so dangerous on third-and-10 late in the first quarter. He scrambled right, ran upfield, but just as the cornerbacks and linebackers started to crash down on him, he fired the ball to Donaven McCulley, who sped upfield for a 38-yard gain to put the Wolverines in Oklahoma territory for the first time today.

Oklahoma, however, is laying the smack down. On back-to-back plays, receivers were cracked — both resulting in drops.

Earlier, Underwood overshot a receiver so badly that the ball was nearly picked off by Gentry Williams. 

The Sooners' defense deserves a lot of credit for mostly keeping Underwood in check, but flashes of brilliance — particularly his side-arm whip shots on screens — are evident. He's 4 of 6 passing for 51 yards.

Early 1Q: Oklahoma, Michigan 0

Oklahoma marched down the field on the first possession with relative ease, thanks primarily to quarterback John Mateer's arm and legs. 

The quarterback completed 4 of 6 passes for 53 yards, including a 9-yarder to Deion Burks to take a 7-0 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Michigan did well in the trenches for the most part against the run, but Mateer was able to buy time and also pick up 14 yards on the ground, including an 8-yard run. The Sooners' receivers were getting open. 

Tight end Jaren Kanak had an amazing one-handed grab down the middle of the field for a 31-yard gain to spark the touchdown drive. 

Let's see what Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood can do on his first possession. 

Jadyn Ott played only four snaps last week in Oklahoma's season opener, casting questions about his health heading into this showdown with Michigan.

Those doubts were erased 17 minutes before kickoff when the Cal transfer was announced as the Sooners' starting running back. Ott had one carry for negative yardage last week.

Ott was one of the more coveted players in the transfer portal in the offseason, but quickly chose the Sooners after leaving Cal. 

When Oklahoma Sooners made a splash late in the transfer portal cycle by adding former California Golden Bears star running back Jaydn Ott during the spring window, it came with the expectation that the No. 50 overall player in the 247Sports transfer rankings would make an immediate impact.

However, on OU's initial depth chart, Ott was listed as the third-string running back behind Jovantae Barnes and Tory Blaylock. In his debut at Oklahoma last weekend, Ott logged just four snaps during his team's 35-3 win over Illinois State Redbirds. He rushed one time for minus-3 yards and was targeted once in the passing game by quarterback John Mateer but it was incomplete.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables explains transfer RB Jaydn Ott's lack of production in Sooners opener

Cameron Salerno

The Michigan Wolverines passing offense was among the worst among power conference teams in 2024, but freshman phenom Bryce Underwood showed Saturday why the Wolverines broke the bank to bring him to Ann Arbor to turn around their offensive fortunes. 

Underwood completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown in No. 15 Michigan's 34-17 win over New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, and put some incredible throws on tape that showed a level of skill well beyond his years. This week Michigan will face a stiffer test from No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners, as Underwood will get his first taste of what life is like on the road when the Wolverines meet the Sooners in Norman. 

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is known for being a defensive mastermind, and when asked this week about Underwood, he noted some similarities between the freshman star and another top QB prospect his defense went up against in practice each week when he was the defensive coordinator at Clemson Tigers, via ESPN. 

"He's a little different," Venables said. "It reminds me a lot of a Trevor Lawrence. Quick. Decisive. Accurate. Poised. Tough. Consistent. There's a reason he was the No. 1 player in America. And he's got a maturity and a work ethic and leadership agility to go along with that."

Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood reminds Oklahoma coach Brent Venables of former Clemson star quarterback

Robby Kalland

When No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 15 Michigan Wolverines clash this Saturday in Norman, the Sooners will be led by a transfer quarterback. They paid millions for John Mateer, and in many ways, his addition from Washington State Cougars represents the current philosophy of quarterback management on the Power Four level when there's even an ounce of concern about the internal options -- go get a transfer.

Of the 67 Power Four quarterbacks to start for their team in Week 0 of Week 1, 43 of them (64.2%) were transfers.

But the QB on the other side of Saturday's matchup, Bryce Underwood, might signal the cyclical return of a different trend.

Underwood was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports rankings. But he's just one of four true freshmen passers to start from Day 1. Underwood was joined by Maryland Terrapins Malik Washington, Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and BYU Cougars Bear Bachmeier.

Money, politics among reasons teams have turned to true freshmen QBs in 2025 -- with another wave on the way

Chris Hummer

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood kicked off his collegiate career with a bang, completing 67.7% of his passes for 251 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions in a 34-17 victory over New Mexico in Week 1.

However, things are about to get significantly more difficult for the top-ranked recruit from the 2025 class, as the Wolverines face No. 18 Oklahoma on the road this Saturday.

The Sooners opened their season with a commanding 35-3 victory over Illinois State in Week 1, and the CBS Sports College Football Insiders crew identified several reasons Michigan Wolverines could struggle in Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

"Venables as a play caller going up against a true freshman is going to be a very interesting watch on Saturday," Chris Hummer of CBS Sports and 247Sports said Tuesday on College Football Insiders. "Venables is one of the most creative play-callers in the country in terms of generating pressure."

Venables, in fact, is 21-5 against freshman quarterbacks (true or redshirt) dating back to the beginning of his tenure as Clemson Tigers defensive coordinator and spanning through his current gig (18-1 at Clemson, 3-4 at Oklahoma Sooners). In those games against Venables, the freshman QBs have helmed offenses that averaged 20.2 points per game. Whether they were 18 or 19 years old, the freshman classification is a telling filter: QBs on their first run of extensive college action, with limited experience in various defensive looks, are all the same. 

Brent Venables eats freshman QBs alive, which means a 'trial by fire' for Michigan's Bryce Underwood

Grant Hughes

College football's game of the week highlighting the Week 2 action pits a pair of storied programs against each other, as No. 15 Michigan Wolverines heads to No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners for a seismic Big Ten vs. SEC clash. It's just the second time the Wolverines and Sooners have ever played and the first meeting since 1976 between the pair of historic powers.

Both teams enter still shrouded in mystery after Week 1 victories against overmatched opponents that featured some flaws. But no one is a finished product after one game, and these squads each harbor College Football Playoff aspirations that will become far more realistic with a Week 2 victory.

Michigan vs. Oklahoma prediction, pick, odds, spread: Bryce Underwood, John Mateer headline Week 2 clash

David Cobb

Believe it or not, Michigan and Oklahoma are meeting for just the second time in their long, storied history. 

The last time the two programs met was in 1976 at the Orange Bowl, and that almost didn't happen. The Big Ten limited bowl appearances to only one Big Ten team until the 1975 regular season. The Wolverines' only loss in the regular season was against Big Ten champion Ohio State, but thanks to a rule change in the preseason, the Sooners were able to accept an invitation to face Big Eight co-champion Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. 

Oklahoma, the defending national champions, suffered its first loss ever in the Barry Switzer era earlier that season against Kansas. Switzer entered the Orange Bowl with a 32-1-1 record as Oklahoma's head coach. The program was also fresh off a two-year bowl ban, making the showdown with the Wolverines even more special. 

The No. 3 Sooners beat the No. 5 Wolverines 14-6 despite losing three fumbles.