Fast, explosive, fun football – that is what offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer were known for at Washington State.
It paid off too. The Arbuckle and Mateer-led WSU offense ranked sixth in points scored per game in 2024 (36.6) and 17th in total yards per game (442.8). Specifically Mateer, he finished as eighth in the nation in passing yards per attempt (9.0) and 13th in total passing touchdowns.
Now, Arbuckle and Mateer work to shift the momentum of Oklahoma’s offense, which ranked 203rd nationally in total yards per game (331.o) last season. The task will be difficult, but they can count on their connection with each other.
“The biggest part of football IQ, one, is learning the offense,” Arbuckle said. “Well, John's been in it now for two and a half years … He knows what I'm thinking; he knows what I want on plays, and he understands whenever we may be in a bad situation on a play call.
“And he's able to ultimately put us in a better situation.”
The Sooners desperately need “better” after a 6-7 season, which was partly due to a dry display of offense that made inconsistency its home.
For the quarterback position, former quarterback Jackson Arnold and sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. each struggled for consistency with neither player earning the starting spot for all of 2024, contributing to the offense’s poor performance. At wide receiver, the Sooners suffered from an injury-riddled receiving core. Five wide receivers were on the injury report against Alabama on Nov. 23, and redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks, who had 629 yards at Purdue in 2023, only played five games in 2024.
The challenges were plenty, and now, they are hungry for improvement.
“First of all, they're hungry for it ... It wasn't successful last year, and they don't like that. Nobody likes that. I mean, everybody's competitive. They want it really bad. I mean, it's not hard to get out of them,” Mateer said. “But there is a little culture shift that's happened, and that's going to keep happening, just like getting used to scoring touchdowns and celebrating and being happy for everybody and only complimentary football … is something that's going to happen. But it's not easy.
“But it's definitely trending that way.”
The change in direction also includes other new players, who Mateer and Arbuckle have already impacted.
The Sooners have brought in redshirt junior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna from Arkansas, redshirt junior wide receiver Javonnie Gibson from Arkansas-Pine Bluff and freshman offensive lineman Michael Fasusi, among others. Sategna and Gibson recorded 491 and 1,215 yards, respectively, while Fasusi was a five-star recruit out of high school.
Mateer, in particular, has impressed the group with his confidence.
“John has the swagger; John’s got the swag … It’s going to be great,” Fasusi said.
The leadership also extends past the offense and radiates to the whole team, affecting redshirt senior linebacker Kendal Daniels as well.
Daniels spent four years at Oklahoma State, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2023 with 105 tackles and recording 64 tackles in 2024. After moving to the other team in the Bedlam rivalry, he has quickly made a strong connection with Mateer.
“We joke around a lot, and we talk a lot of smack to each other on the football field,” Daniels said. “I feel like he's the type of guy that you want leading the team.”
Senior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings, who has been a Sooner for three years and experienced highs and lows, already feels Mateer’s impact as well.
“He's a risky quarterback, so he throws throws that you wouldn't think he'll throw, so it really makes you work … because he has a good, attached release,” Spears-Jennings said.
Arbuckle has earned his own praise too.
While Mateer brings confidence, humor and intelligence, Arbuckle pushes constant intensity. No matter the quality of the practice, the intense energy is always present.
“That's what you can say about him – it's the energy … I assume he’s going to bring that intensity every single practice,” Fasusi said. “Good practice, bad practice, he doesn't care. It's off to the next; we're going to dominate the next. That's always been about him, and I love that about him.”
The forefront of the team, though, is head coach Brent Venables.
Venables, who has led the Sooners to success in 2023 with a 10-3 record but disaster in 2024, likes what Arbuckle adds to the team.
“I think he (does) a really good job … having energy and passion and enthusiasm for the game, for the little wins along the way,” Venables said. “I think it's important when you're talking about a group of guys, some of the guys coming back that were scarred up from a year ago, and that's part of the healing process, I believe, to help these guys gain confidence, not false confidence, confidence through the work and through success and just affirming the players along the way. He (does) a great job of that.”
Despite the added confidence, intensity and passion, for Arbuckle and Mateer to bring their fast, successful offense to Oklahoma, it will be difficult. However, the two welcome mistakes.
“We'd rather you play fast and make a mistake than play slow and do the right thing because playing slow and doing the right thing, you’re not even doing the right thing,” Mateer said. “As long as they play fast, the offense will work.”
Through all of the expected bumps along the road and the successes, it will be a journey. But Mateer enjoys the process.
“It's been really fun,” Mateer said. “Already knowing (the system) has helped because I'm getting to my third year in it and helping everybody out because I know how it should look.
“And I'm excited to see what it's going to become.”
