Can John Mateer’s Oklahoma Offense Survive the Tennessee Test?

Saturday night’s SEC showdown feels like more than just another game—it’s a high-stakes playoff preview, with No. 18 Oklahoma traveling to face No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville. But here’s the kicker: despite similar records at 6-2, these teams couldn’t be on more divergent paths. Tennessee, after a rocky start that included tough losses to Georgia and Alabama, seems to have shaken off the rust and is hitting its stride at just the right moment. Meanwhile, Oklahoma stormed out blazing, undefeated through the first five games and ranked in the top five nationally—only to stumble lately, struggling offensively, especially since the return of John Mateer from his thumb surgery. So, the question looming over this clash is—can the Sooners find their mojo back on the road against a hungry Volunteer squad boasting a high-octane offense and a defense that’s ready to push their limits? For Mateer and his team, it’s not just a game; it’s a do-or-die moment to keep those playoff dreams alive amid a swirling storm of turnovers and a run game that’s barely moving the chains. Grab your popcorn, folks—this one’s shaping up to be a true test of grit and strategy under the bright lights of Neyland Stadium. LEARN MORE.

A pair of 6-2 SEC teams will square off on Saturday night when No. 18 Oklahoma heads to Knoxville to take on No. 14 Tennessee in what is essentially a playoff game, but the two teams are heading in opposite directions coming into this game.

Tennessee took a frustrating early-season loss to Georgia at home in overtime before losing to Alabama on the road. However, the Volunteers are starting to play some of their best football and are coming off of an impressive performance on the road against Kentucky.

On the other side, Oklahoma came out of the gates on fire this season, racing out to a 5-0 start and sitting inside the top five of the AP poll. Since then, the Sooners have lost two of their last three games and are struggling mightily on the offensive side of the ball since John Mateer came back from a thumb injury that required surgery.

Now, Oklahoma will have to go on the road and knock off Tennessee if it wants to keep its playoff hopes alive. Brent Venables and company like to rely on their defense, but this Tennessee offense is extremely explosive, doesn’t take many negative plays and has one of the best wide receivers in college football in Chris Brazzell II.

That means that Mateer and company will have to score some points to keep up in a hostile road environment. Unfortunately for them, Tennessee’s defense doesn’t exactly provide the blueprint to allow them to do that, and here’s why.

Oklahoma could run into turnover problems

Turnover margin isn’t a stat that sums up one side of the ball — it takes both sides into account — but regardless it does display one of the biggest issues that Oklahoma might run into in this game. Tennessee’s turnover margin is a rock-solid plus-four on the season, putting it in the top 50 in college football. On the other hand, Oklahoma is one of the worst teams in the nation in that department, sitting with a minus-six mark.

Specifically on this side of the ball, it could be a real problem. Oklahoma has 10 giveaways on the season, while Tennessee has an incredible 14 takeaways in just eight games.

Things get even worse for Oklahoma when you look at the competition it has faced. Seven of those ten turnovers came in games against Texas, Michigan, Auburn and Ole Miss. John Mateer threw three interceptions against the Longhorns, and the Sooners lost the turnover battle in all four of those games. This Tennessee team has been able to force mistakes throughout the season, and this is an Oklahoma offense that may give it chances to do just that on Saturday.

This Tennessee offense is too good to give it the ball with short fields. Oklahoma has to take care of the football to avoid that, but Mateer is naturally a reckless quarterback who has been a bit erratic since coming back from the injury. While that sometimes results in some big plays for the Sooners, it will also likely give the Vols some chances to make plays on the football in this game.

Oklahoma’s running game has let it down

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) runs beside Ole Miss Rebels linebacker Suntarine Perkins (4) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Ole Miss Rebels at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Ole Miss won 34-26. — BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even dating back to the Lincoln Riley days, some of the best Oklahoma offenses in recent years have been lauded for their quarterbacks. That was true with Baker Mayfield, with Kyler Murray, with Jalen Hurts, and it is now the same with Mateer. However, the three previous quarterbacks all had elite running games to lean on that allowed the offense to flourish.

This Oklahoma team does not have that luxury, and in fact the running game has been a glaring weakness this season. Oklahoma averages the fifth-least yards per game on the ground in the SEC, and it has the third-worst yards per carry in the conference.

The designed running back run game is even worse. Some of Oklahoma’s most successful runs are either Mateer scrambles for designed quarterback runs, which the Sooners usually reserve for short-yardage situations on key downs or down by the goal line. On a down-to-down, series-to-series basis, this is not a team that has been able to run the ball effectively.

Tennessee is giving up just 3.4 yards per carry on the season, a very solid number even is some of the better teams on its schedule have been more successful than that. The Volunteers should be able to force the Sooners into come obvious passing situations where they can create some big plays and get off the field.

Tennessee currently ranks fourth in the SEC in sacks, and the Vols will have some chances to get more in this game if they can stop the run. With a quarterback in Mateer who tends to hold onto the ball, Tennessee can get in the backfield and create some negative plays.

Tennessee has the corners to match up with Oklahoma on the outside

Tennessee has given up the most passing yards per game in the SEC, but a lot of that is due to game script and facing Ty Simpson and the machine that is the Alabama passing game. The Vols still have a lot of talent on the outside even without rejected starters Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson, and it all starts with Colton Hood.

The Colorado transfer showed flashes at times during the 2024 season in Boulder, and he got a chance to be a full-time starter on the outside this year after the injuries to McCoy and Gibson. Hood has not disappointed, forcing an incompletion on more than 20% of his targets according to PFF and establishing himself as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Hood will likely spend a lot of this game matched up against Isaiah Sategna III, who is Mateer’s favorite target and the leading receiver for the crimson and cream. Sategna has 43 catches for 624 yards and five touchdowns on the season, leading the team in all three categories by a wide margin.

This season, Hood has been able to take even the best receivers he has played out of the game. If he can do that to Sategna, who will Mateer rely on in the passing game? Keontez Lewis is doubtful to play, leaving just Deion Burks as the inly other wide receiver on the team with at least 10 catches on the season.

It likely won’t be a complete shutout, but Tennessee’s defense has all of the tools to continue to make things difficult for Mateer and this offense to produce. That should allow Joey Aguilar and company to score enough points to get a win in front of the home crowd in Knoxville.

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