Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Oklahoma Sooners triumphed over the Temple Owls with a decisive 42-3 victory on Saturday (September 13) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. John Mateer led the Sooners, throwing for 282 yards and a touchdown, and adding a 51-yard rushing score. Tory Blaylock also contributed significantly, rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Sooners, ranked No. 13, took an early lead with a 25-0 score by halftime, showcasing their dominance in front of a crowd of 24,927. The game marked Oklahoma's rare trip to the East Coast, and their fans turned out in force, painting the stadium in crimson and cream. Despite the absence of the Pride of Oklahoma marching band due to budget constraints, the Saint Joseph’s pep band filled in, leading the crowd in "Boomer Sooner."
Jovantae Barnes opened the scoring with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion. Tate Sandell added a 52-yard field goal, and Blaylock scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Mateer continued his impressive performance with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Robinson and capped off the scoring with a 51-yard run.
The Owls, who had scored 97 points in their first two games, struggled against Oklahoma's strong defense, managing only 26 rushing yards. Temple's only points came from a 34-yard field goal by Carl Hardin.
Looking ahead, Oklahoma will face No. 24 Auburn at home, while Temple will travel to play Georgia Tech. The Sooners, now 3-0, could move into the top 10 rankings if other games result in upsets. Meanwhile, Temple, now 2-1, will have time to prepare for their next matchup against Oklahoma, scheduled for 2028.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• QB John Mateer completed 20 of 34 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown and rushed seven times for 63 yards and a TD (a 51-yarder). It marked his ninth straight game with at least one rushing and at least one passing TD. That’s the longest current streak nationally and tied for the fourth longest since the start of the 2000 season.
• Freshman RB Tory Blaylock registered a career-high 100 rushing yards on 14 carries (7.1 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. He scored on runs of 6 and 18 yards in the second quarter for his first career multi-touchdown game.
• Redshirt junior WR Isaiah Sategna finished with career and game highs of seven receptions and 97 yards (13.9 yards per catch).
• Senior TE Jaren Kanak tallied four receptions for 86 yards and converted a two-point attempt after OU’s first touchdown with a pass to holder Jacob Ulrich. All four of his catches resulted in first downs, and three of those came on third-down plays. The converted linebacker leads OU with 245 receiving yards on the season (the Sooners’ tight ends combined for 455 receiving yards last year).
• Oklahoma outgained Temple, 515 to 104 in total yards, 287 to 78 in passing yards and 228 to 26 in rushing yards.
• OU recorded 29 first downs to Temple’s seven and averaged 6.5 yards per play to the Owls’ 1.9.
• Temple’s seven first downs (including one by penalty) were the fewest OU allowed since the 2015 season (at Kansas State).
• The Sooners forced 12 punts today, the most in a game since 2015 vs. Akron. The 12 punts were the most forced by an OU defense in a road game since the 2000 season (at Baylor).
• Junior LB Sammy Omosigho recorded three pass breakups today. He had one career PBU entering the game.
• DB Michael Boganowski, DB Reggie Powers III and DL Wyatt Gilmore each registered their first career sacks.
• Oklahoma’s two longest rushes of the season came on consecutive plays in the third quarter. Blaylock registered a career-long 25-yard rush and Mateer scored a 51-yard touchdown rush on the following play.
• OU has yet to allow a point in the first or fourth quarters this season.