John Mateer already broke a Baker Mayfield record in his Oklahoma debut

The Oklahoma Sooners as a whole didn't wow anyone in their 2025 season opener on Saturday night, but new quarterback John Mateer certainly did in his OU debut.

Mateer finished the 35-3 win over Illinois State with 392 passing yards, which broke Baker Mayfield's record of 388 passing yards in an OU debut.

John Mateer sets new OU passing record

It took Sooner Nation just one half to realize they had something special with the transfer from Washington State. Mateer found his rhythm after two disappointing opening drives before leading the Sooners to the end zone in their final three possessions of the first half.

First, Mateer outran Illinois State's defense to score his first touchdown as a Sooner on a seven-yard run. He then found wide receiver Deion Burks for a 27-yard TD the next series.

In the second half, Mateer connected with fellow transfer Keontez Lewis for a pair of TDs. The two hooked up first on a 28-yard pass and catch. The next one was a 20-yard completion in the fourth quarter. Three of Mateer's four TD passes were for 20 yards or more.

Mateer finished his OU debut with the 392 passing yards and 4 TDs while completing 81% of his throws on 30-for-37 passing, which was a new career-high in completions. He also had 24 rushing yards on seven carries to tally 416 total yards.

It would be easy to dismiss Mateer's performance since it came against an FCS opponent, but not only is Illinois State the No. 6 team at its level, but Mayfield's debut came against Akron in 2015. Mayfield also threw three TDs and rushed for another in that 41-3 win.

Comparisons have already been made all offseason between OU's newest star and legend, but Mateer's debut will only increase those expectations to be the Sooners' next Heisman Trophy winner after transferring to OU.

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