John Mateer says last year's Texas game taught him a lot

The Oklahoma Sooners are heading down to Dallas, Tex., to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. The Sooners enter the game on a two-game losing streak in the matchup.

Last season, Oklahoma lost 23-6 to the Longhorns. In fact, the Sooners haven't scored a touchdown in three of the last four matchups. Last season was quarterback John Mateer's first Red River game. He was coming off thumb surgery and struggled mightily. He completed 20-of-38 passes for 202 yards and three interceptions. He also managed just five yards on 14 carries.

Mateer told the media he learned a lot from last year's game.

"I'm more excited," Mateer said via OU Insider. "It is what everybody says it is. It's awesome. I'm honored to play in it, in a rivalry for this team and these guys. Last year, it was what it was. It's taught me a lot. But I'm standing here and ready to play this week."

Mateer has another chance to show how much he's grown from last year's experience, and the timing couldn't be better. Oklahoma enters the rivalry as a big underdog, but the Sooners spent the bye week preparing for this moment and now have a chance to turn some of the first four games' frustrations into something positive.

If Mateer can play with the confidence he showed earlier in his Oklahoma career while taking better care of the football, he could give the Sooners a chance to pull off a major upset. A strong performance against the Longhorns wouldn't erase last season's struggles, but it could start a much better chapter in his final season.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: John Mateer says last year's Texas game taught him a lot