Oklahoma Sooners at Temple Owls

No. 13 Oklahoma dominates Temple 42-3, Mateer shines with 281 yards passing and a 51-yard rushing TD

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.

Poll implications The Sooners could rise into the top 10 if there are a few upsets on the rest of the Saturday slate.

Injuries OU wide receiver Keontez Lewis left the game late in the first half after he took a shot to the head when Mateer had a pass intercepted. Lewis was examined in the sideline medical tent and walked to the locker room on his own power.

Strike out the band The Pride of Oklahoma marching band wrote on social media that budget constraints forced it to stay home instead of traveling to Philadelphia. The Saint Joseph’s pep band pinch-hit for OU and led “ Boomer Sooner ” for the game.

The takeaway Oklahoma: The Sooners made use of the breather in their schedule following a win last week over then-No. 15 Michigan and another Top 25 game next week against Auburn. They held the Owls to 26 yards rushing and have allowed only 254 yards passing total over the first three 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.

Up next Oklahoma: The Sooners return home for what should be stiffer competition against No. 24 Auburn. Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas was ejected for targeting that should earn the All-SEC selection an automatic suspension for the first half of next week’s game.

Temple: The Owls hit the road to play Georgia Tech.