Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle admitted yet again that the coaching staff considered replacing quarterback John Mateer during another deficient performance, but still, no changes were ever made.
Mateer played every offensive snap of the Sooners’ 42-25 blowout loss to South Carolina on Saturday in Norman. Arbuckle not benching Mateer in hopes of jolting a dead offense is no surprise at this point, but the dumbfounding move is that the coaching staff still left Mateer out there to play against a second-string defense and pad stats when the Sooners’ backup quarterbacks are desperate for playing time.
Props to Sooners On SI’s Ryan Chapman for asking Arbuckle during the postgame press conference why he wouldn’t throw a backup out there during garbage time. Arbuckle, though, failed to give any sort of valid reason.
“We talked about everything on the headset tonight,” Arbuckle said. “But then we rattled off three scoring drives, and the way it was going, it just didn’t feel like the right time. But we discussed everything.
“Like I’ve said about those two (backup quarterbacks), they prepare. I’m confident in those two individuals — Bowe (Bentley) and Whitt (Newbauer). But, yeah, just how the game was shaking out and everything tonight, just didn’t feel like that was right.”
Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley miss out on chance to play vs. South Carolina
Arbuckle couldn’t be more wrong while shooting from the hip at that question. It wasn’t just the right time to test out a backup, but it was perfect timing for the correct move.
The Sooners entered the fourth quarter down 35-10 with no chance of a comeback, especially with how inept OU’s offense is. They were in the midst of a drive that ended with a 34-yard touchdown from Mateer to Ivan Carreon for the offense’s first points of the game with 14:53 left. That should have been the last pass Mateer threw.
South Carolina answered in just three plays to make the count 42-16 with 13:13 left. That set up the opportunity for one of OU’s backup quarterbacks with no experience, whether it be Whitt Newbauer or freshman Bowe Bentley, to get almost an entire quarter's worth of time to actually make those last few minutes useful in some way.
Instead, Mateer trotted back out there and led an 11-play drive that ended with a field goal while obviously looking productive in garbage time. Maybe it’s fitting that Mateer plays his best in garbage time.
South Carolina then pulled starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers, but Mateer still played two more drives even after that. That time Mateer was out there benefited absolutely nobody, especially not the future of OU’s program.
Mateer ended up completing 60% of his 43 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the TD passes and 197 of those yards came in garbage time during the fourth quarter. He had a minuscule 25 passing yards at halftime.
That fourth-quarter performance revealed to us absolutely nothing about Mateer. We all already know (except apparently Arbuckle) that Mateer is not a good quarterback.
What we have no idea about, though, is what the Sooners have behind Mateer. Newbauer has thrown only one pass this season in his lone appearance in the Week 1 blowout against UTEP. Bentley, whom Arbuckle recruited, still hasn’t made his collegiate debut as a consensus four-star recruit in the 2026 class.
Fans have been yelling for Mateer to be replaced most of the season, but the argument against it has been that the options behind him are inexperienced and would flop in this offensive situation with no running game and a porous offensive line. Even that excuse seems poor now since it doesn’t appear the offense could get any worse.
Still, if experience is what the Sooners’ quarterbacks need, then that fourth quarter against South Carolina was a rare in-game opportunity to get it. Even if Arbuckle is set on riding out the season with Mateer as QB1, OU will still need a new quarterback next season after Mateer exhausts his eligibility.
At this point, though, Newbauer or Bentley won’t quarterback the Sooners now or ever in the future. And no one can blame them. It's almost been insulting how obviously OU is refusing to play either of them.
The guy in front of them turned the ball over four times in the first half against Georgia, and after debating, OU’s coaching staff still decided to stick with Mateer. There’s been reason to bench Mateer all season, but neither backup has ever stepped off the sideline. Even with a perfect opportunity in garbage time, both guys still watched and still have next to no playing time.
Arbuckle has been loyal to a fault to Mateer. It's not only been detrimental to the Sooners in 2026, but it's starting to even hurt their future, whether Arbuckle is still around then or not.
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