NORMAN — John Mateer played with a confidence against Mississippi State that’s been lacking so far in 2026.

He completed 22-of-29 passes for 283 yards and two scores, and crucially, he avoided a back-breaking turnover.

That confidence spread to other areas of his game.

Mateer arrived at Oklahoma as a dual-threat quarterback, but his ground game has been missing in 2026.

Though he only carried the ball nine times for 37 yards in the 23-15 win, Mateer ran as decisively as he has all year.

“I thought he did a good job of getting downhill,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said after the win. “I think he made the wrong read on one. … but didn't make the wrong read a lot. But yeah, he got his foot down, went north to south.”

Any time Mateer gets going on the ground, it’s a plus for OU’s offense. But Mateer especially seems to settle into the game when he can make plays with his legs.

“They weren’t really keying me as much as most defenses do, which was fun for me. I appreciate it,” Mateer said.…