John Mateer nearly flawless in leading OU football past Mississippi State | 5 takeaways

STARKVILLE, MS — On the 14th play of Oklahoma’s final drive of the first half, the pocket collapsed on quarterback John Mateer around the Mississippi State 40-yard line.Mateer, known for his ability to make plays with his legs, stepped up and scrambled to his left. With Bulldogs defenders attacking him from all sides, Mateer used his left hand to stiff arm one before taking a few more steps to his left and firing a jump pass to an open Isaiah Sategna III around the 20.With Mateer on the ground after he took a shot, Sategna made a move and turned on the jets. The former track star left several MSU defenders in the dust, scoring a 36-yard touchdown and giving the Sooners a 10-point halftime lead.The play was a massive momentum shifter — capping a 14-play, 96-yard drive that spanned nearly six minutes — and the Bulldogs never recovered. More: OU football outlasts Mississippi State as John Mateer plays best game of seasonOU defeated Mississippi State 23-15 Saturday afternoon in front of a sparse crowd of 49,224 at Davis Wade Stadium. The Sooners avoided a back-to-back loss for the third time this season.Mateer showed tremendous toughness, turning countless broken plays into big gains. He completed 22 of his 29 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns, refraining from turning the ball over like he has so many times this season. While the play to end the first half was his most electric, Mateer found a wide-open Rocky Beers for a 32-yard touchdown to open the second half. Later in the third quarter, he converted a third down by launching a deep one to Sategna for a 54-yard gain — his longest pass of the season. In the fourth, Mateer threw perhaps his best pass of the season 49 yards to Sategna.Sategna caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Running back Tory Blaylock rushed 12 times for 71 yards in the win.Coach Brent Venables said all week that he thought the Sooners could build on their offensive performance in the Kentucky loss. OU’s 467 total yards Saturday was its most since last season’s win over Temple and its most in an SEC game since joining the conference.Here are a few more takeaways from OU’s (4-3) win:Kamario Taylor injury update: Mississippi State QB ruled out vs OU footballSooners defense dominates as Kamario Taylor exitsOU’s defense dominated from the jump.Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor tried to give it a go but didn’t move well early. He exited the game in the first quarter after a fourth-down play in which he appeared to reinjure himself and completed two of his five pass attempts for 10 yards.In Taylor’s absence, Parker “BIlly” Puckett struggled mightily. He completed 17 of his 24 passes for 158 yards, a touchdown and an interception.Linebacker Owen Heinecke led OU with 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Safety Peyton Bowen proved yet again why he is one of the best safeties in the country, intercepting Puckett in the fourth quarter during a critical drive.The Sooners’ defense is still elite.PJ Adebawore, David Stone wreak havocAll offseason, OU wondered if this indeed would be the season PJ Adebawore broke out.He’s broken out.Adebawore finished with two tackles and 1.5 sacks in the win. He’s now up to four sacks this season.Defensive lineman David Stone shined on the interior and finished with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.OU OL Michael Fasusi shines in return from injuryMichael Fasusi returned to the field for the first time in 50 days.The Sooners’ star left tackle started for OU against Mississippi State after missing five games. The left side of the Sooners’ line was excellent Saturday as most of the pressure Mateer was under came from the right side.After weeks of constant shuffling on the offensive line, Fasusi was a welcome sight for OU at left tackle. Now, the Sooners hope to get Ryan Fodje and Eddy Pierre-Louis back soon.Tate Sandell inconsistent in winThe reigning Lou Groza Award winner was uncharacteristically inconsistent.OU kicker Tate Sandell finished the game 3 for 6, nailing field goals of 42, 30 and 38. All three of his scores were massive but Saturday will ultimately go down as disappointing after leaving nine points on the table.Especially on a day when the Sooners offense had success.Next, the Sooners host South Carolina at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: John Mateer nearly flawless in leading OU football past Mississippi State | 5 takeaways