Alabama DC tells what Tide has to do to contain Oklahoma’s John Mateer

Nov 1, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) passes the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

With Alabama’s sights now set on the Oklahoma Sooners after defeating LSU on Saturday, this will be the second game in a row that the Tide’s defense will face a talented quarterback who was a preseason Heisman favorite.

The No. 11-ranked Sooners are being led by quarterback John Mateer, a transfer from Washington State who has thrown for almost 2,000 yards and eight touchdowns through eight games. He was sidelined for one game due to a hand injury.

Although Mateer hasn’t seen the success that he’s hoped for this season, Mateer is a talented quarterback with a proven record of success, as he threw for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns last season with the Cougars.

Crimson Tide defensive coordinator spoke on Monday about what he’s seen from the quarterback ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

“He can do a lot with his feet,” Wommack said. “He’s got really good arm talent, kind of puts the ball all over the yard. He’s got a lot of different arm angles and the way that he gets the ball out. The [run-pass option] game and the quick game, and being able to scramble, create and extend plays. You look at some of their off-schedule plays, they’re some of their most explosive plays. So, that’s something that we’ve got to do a great job of having 11 bodies that are swarming to the ball play in and play out.”

Mateer has an elite ability to scramble with the ball, allowing him to extend plays and improvise to create something explosive downfield, or take off and utilize his legs to earn extra yardage that way.

His accuracy hasn’t been the best this season, as he has seven interceptions on the season, which already ties what he finished with last year. The Tide’s defense will need to get a lot of pressure on him to force him to make mistakes.

If Alabama’s defense can efficiently shut down the run-pass option and short passes, it will force Oklahoma to either run the ball or have Mateer attempt tough passes, which the Crimson Tide can take advantage of.

It will be an interesting matchup when the two face off on Saturday, as Alabama will be looking to take revenge after last year’s tough loss. This time around, the Tide gets the advantage of hosting the Sooners at home.