2 winners and 2 losers from a Kentucky loss that Oklahoma let slip away

The Oklahoma Sooners are losers again.

The Sooners entered the fourth quarter with a lead over No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday night in Norman, and even after the Wildcats took control, OU had two chances in the final two minutes for a game-winning drive. Both drives ended with interceptions, though, and the Sooners let another top-15 upset that would have righted the ship slip away. Instead, it's pretty obvious this ship is sinking to the bottom, with Brent Venables as the captain with his $51.67 million buyout.

There were still winners that came out of the disappointment, but also some obvious losers, besides Venables.

Loser: John Mateer

Quarterback John Mateer was already written down as a winner, until he did John Mateer things.

Mateer looked to be in his early 2025 form until the Sooners needed him most with the game on the line. Down 14-13 with 1:17 left, Mateer threw an easy pick-six that put Kentucky up by eight.

The game still wasn't over, though, and Mateer had a shot at redemption if he led his team down the field. But then, on the following drive with 23 seconds left, he threw another interception, and this one did end the game.

Mateer finished the game completing 60% of his 40 passes for 270 yards and a TD with three interceptions that erased any good he did.

Winner: Manny Choice

Sophomore Manny Choice should just have won the job as the Sooners' WR2 that they've been needing to take a load off Isaiah Sategna.

Choice led the Sooners with 98 receiving yards on five catches, including a long gain of 34. He also had the highest catch rate among OU pass catchers with more than one reception at 83%.

Listed at 6-foot-4 with speed to make big plays, Choice is making it as obvious as he can for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to realize he needs to keep Choice on the field and Mateer to keep slinging it his way.

Loser: Ryan Fodje

Don't be surprised when Ryan Fodje is yet another OU offensive lineman added to the availability report next week.

Fodje, starting at left tackle, was consistently beaten off the edge throughout the night, which contributed to Mateer getting sacked five times. It was clear, though, that Fodje was banged up and not himself since he got up slowly after a play in the second half and eventually exited the game.

The Sooners already had three offensive linemen out on Saturday, including starting left tackle Michael Fasusi, who Fodje has been filling in for the past four games instead of playing his usual spot of right guard. Peyton Joseph, who made his first career start because of all those injuries, also went down and limped off the field during the final possession of the game.

Even if it feels like OU's offense has already reached a low point, brace for an even deeper valley if the list of injured linemen continues to grow instead of shrink.

Winner: Jake Kreul

Freshman defensive end Jake Kreul will be a winner for OU for a really long time.

Kreul turned some heads last week during the Red River Rivalry, but the former five-star recruit fully broke out on Saturday night. He led an elite pass rush with 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss while coming up big in some clutch moments, including pummeling Kenny Minchey when Kentucky went for it on 4th-and-goal late in the game.

Taylor Wein is a solidified starter on one of the edges, and Adepoju Adebawore and Danny Okoye are solid on the other side, but Kreul is leaving Venables no choice but to find him more snaps.

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