John Mateer, Oklahoma Grind Out 20-Play Touchdown Drive to Beat No. 25 Florida 23-7 in Jason Witten's Debut

Oklahoma held the ball for nearly 38 minutes, kept Florida out of the end zone after the second quarter and put the game away with a 20-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that took 12 minutes and 45 seconds. John Mateer threw two touchdown passes in Jason Witten's first game as the Sooners' play-caller, and Oklahoma beat No. 25 Florida 23-7 on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.

Oklahoma (5-4, 3-3 SEC) scored on its first two possessions and allowed 203 total yards. Florida (5-4, 3-4 SEC) got its only points on a 15-yard Jadan Baugh run late in the first half, then turned the ball over on two interceptions and a fourth-down sack in the second half. Mateer completed 21 of 33 passes for 207 yards and led all rushers with 56 yards, and Tate Sandell made all three field goal attempts.

The week began with Oklahoma coach Brent Venables firing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and handing the offense to tight ends coach Witten on an interim basis. Witten, the former Dallas Cowboys tight end, coached high school football in suburban Texas last year. Saturday was Oklahoma's first visit to the Swamp, in front of a sold-out crowd that marked Florida's 23rd straight sellout.

Two scoring drives to start

Florida's opening drive ended in a punt after Danny Okoye sacked Tramell Jones Jr. on third and 9. Oklahoma's first possession covered 61 yards in 10 plays. Rocky Beers caught a 41-yard pass down the sideline, and although Mateer was later sacked for a 9-yard loss at the Florida 21, Sandell made a 41-yard field goal at 7:36 of the first quarter.

The second drive was even longer. Oklahoma went 84 yards in 15 plays and 7:11, converting a fourth and 1 near midfield along the way. Mateer ran for 15 yards, drew a 15-yard pass interference penalty on a deep throw to Elijah Thomas, and finished the drive with a play design that fooled the Florida defense. Mateer faked a handoff to Tory Blaylock and a reverse to Isaiah Sategna III, then found tight end Hayden Hansen alone for a 3-yard touchdown at 9:42 of the second quarter.

Hansen transferred to Oklahoma in January after four years at Florida, and the touchdown against the former school was the tight end's second of the season. According to Florida's postgame story, it was the first time since Oklahoma joined the SEC in 2024, a span of three seasons and 35 games, that the Sooners scored on their first two offensive possessions.

Florida answers once

Florida's offense managed little in the first half. Two holding penalties stalled the Gators' second drive, and Owen Heinecke and Reggie Powers III combined on a 10-yard sack that forced a punt on the third.

The Gators' break came on special teams. Jacob Ulrich boomed a 53-yard punt, but Bailey Stockton returned it 31 yards to the Florida 48. Four plays later, after Duke Clark ran for 13 and 5 yards and an Oklahoma holding penalty added 10 more, Baugh broke a 15-yard touchdown run at 3:00 of the second quarter. Baugh stretched for the pylon on a play first ruled out of bounds, and the score cut Oklahoma's lead to 10-7.

Sandell before the half

Oklahoma answered quickly. Taking over with 2:56 left in the half, the Sooners hit plays of 14, 11 and 15 yards and moved 44 yards in eight plays. Sandell made a 48-yard field goal with 36 seconds remaining, and Oklahoma took a 13-7 lead into halftime.

Jones fumbled at the Florida 22 on the final possession of the half, but the Gators recovered.

A fourth-down gamble in the third

Neither offense scored in the third quarter. Oklahoma punted on three straight possessions, and Florida found its best chance of the night midway through the period.

Jones hit Clark for a 33-yard gain that moved the Gators to the Oklahoma 24, and Florida reached fourth and 3 at the Oklahoma 17. Coach Jon Sumrall passed on a field goal and kept the offense on the field. Heinecke hit Jones as the quarterback threw toward the end zone, and Courtland Guillory intercepted the pass for a touchback with 6:22 left in the quarter.

Florida did not score again.

Twenty plays, 12 minutes and 45 seconds

Oklahoma's decisive drive started at its own 11 with 2:34 left in the third quarter, and Florida's offense did not get the ball back until 4:56 remained in the game.

The Sooners ground it out. Lloyd Avant and Mateer carried the ball again and again, and Oklahoma converted five third downs, according to the AP. Replay review also took away one first down early in the fourth quarter, ruling a Mateer run short of the line to gain. On third and 7 from the Florida 25, Mateer found Jacob Jordan for 18 yards to the Florida 7. The drive ended with Mateer's 6-yard touchdown pass to Sategna, and Oklahoma led 20-7 with 4:56 to play.

Mateer completed 6 of 7 passes for 50 yards and the touchdown on the drive and added 23 rushing yards, according to The Oklahoman, which cited SoonerStats.com in reporting that it was Oklahoma's longest drive by plays and time in at least 18 years.

Closing it out

Florida needed to score quickly and could not. On fourth and 3 at the Florida 32, Kip Lewis sacked Jones for a 15-yard loss and a turnover on downs at 4:20.

Oklahoma thought it had added a touchdown when Mateer ran in from 5 yards out, but an illegal shift penalty wiped out the score. Sandell kicked a 31-yard field goal instead with 1:56 left for a 23-7 lead. Jones completed passes of 15 and 19 yards to Clark on Florida's final drive, but Peyton Bowen intercepted Jones at the Oklahoma 22 with 29 seconds left, and Mateer knelt to end the game.

By the numbers

Oklahoma outgained Florida 351 to 203, ran 73 plays to Florida's 47 and held the ball for 37:50. The Sooners converted 10 of 18 third downs and their only fourth-down try. Florida went 2 of 9 on third down, 0 for 2 on fourth down and finished with 11 first downs. Oklahoma committed no turnovers but was flagged nine times for 70 yards, four more penalties than Florida.

Mateer spread 21 completions among eight receivers. Beers led Oklahoma with four catches for 72 yards, Jordan and Sategna each had four catches, and Avant added 47 rushing yards on 13 carries. Sandell accounted for 11 points.

Heinecke led Oklahoma with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack. Lewis made seven tackles and a sack, Okoye added a sack, and the Sooners finished with three sacks and two interceptions.

For Florida, Jones completed 10 of 22 passes for 133 yards with two interceptions in the quarterback's second career start. Clark caught four passes for 70 yards and ran for 28 more, Dallas Wilson had four catches for 48 yards, and Baugh finished with 35 yards on eight carries. Linebacker Myles Graham made 15 tackles, 10 of them solo, and punter Alec Clark dropped three of five punts inside the 20.

What it means

The Sooners came to Gainesville off a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina that led to Arbuckle's firing and Witten's promotion. The win, two weeks after a 23-15 win at Mississippi State, puts Oklahoma back at .500 in SEC play. The Sooners host Ole Miss on Nov. 14.

Florida has lost four of its last five games. The Gators debuted at No. 24 in the first College Football Playoff rankings this week, their first appearance in the CFP poll since 2020, and have now followed a 27-8 loss to Georgia in Atlanta with a home loss in which the offense scored once. Florida plays at Kentucky on Nov. 14, then hosts Vanderbilt on Nov. 21 and closes the regular season at Florida State on Nov. 27.

The programs had met only in bowl games before Saturday, including the national championship game after the 2008 season, which Florida won.

Sources: ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and play-by-play. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Oklahoma Athletics.