No. 13 Oklahoma dominates Temple 42-3, Mateer shines with 281 yards passing and a 51-yard rushing TD
PHILADELPHIA -- — Oklahoma turned a breather of a game sandwiched between tougher tests into a bit of child's play at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions.OU coach Brent Venables says his team's performance when they're on “resembles recess.”
John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown and had a 51-yard rushing score and Tory Blaylock rushed for 100 yards and a pair of TDs to lead No. 13 Oklahoma to a 42-3 victory over Temple on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This is a very hungry, driven, humble, tough, high-standard group of young men that like to be pushed, liked to be challenged, they like to practice,” Venables said. “When they play together, it does, it kind of resembles recess. I say that respectfully. They have fun.”
The Sooners (3-0) had tons of fun early when they scored on their first four possessions and took a 25-0 lead in the first half.
OU made a rare trip to the East Coast and boasted a solid turnout of fans — even while the marching band stayed home — and crimson and cream were the primary colors among an announced crowd of 24,927 fans. Even with the solid OU turnout, that number failed the eye test — though the Sooners looked every bit a playoff contender as advertised.
Jovantae Barnes scored a 3-yard rushing TD on the opening drive and OU converted the 2-point conversion for the 8-0 lead. The Owls (2-1) made a nice defensive stand on the next drive, with a sack and a tackle for a loss that pushed the Sooners into a fourth-and-long. No problem for OU. Tate Sandell promptly kicked a 52-yard field goal.
So it went from there. Blaylock added TD runs of 6 and 18 yards in the second quarter for the Sooners and the expected rout — they were a 24-point favorite, per Sportsbook — was on. OU also beat Temple 51-3 in 2024.
Mateer, the former Washington State QB and one of the most coveted players out of the transfer portal, threw a 6-yard TD pass to Xavier Robinson in the second half and made it 42-3 with a 51-yard scoring run later in the third. Mateer leads the nation with at least one rushing and one passing touchdown in nine straight games.
Temple: The Owls totaled 97 points in their two opening wins but were no match for the Sooners. They have time to work on their next Oklahoma scouting report — they don't go back to Norman for the scheduled third game in this series until 2028.
“The moment just seemed a little bit too big for us,” Temple coach K.C. Keeler said of the brutal first half.
Temple: The Owls hit the road to play Georgia Tech.
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