Sooners win: No. 18 Oklahoma defeats Michigan 24-13, John Mateer leads the way for OU

UPDATE: No. 18 Oklahoma improves to 2-0 with a 24-13 win over Michigan, where the Sooners' defense kept Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood in check, while John Mateer's playmaking put OU over the top against the Wolverines.

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The 18th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners lead the 15th-ranked Michigan Wolverines 14-0 at halftime in Norman. This is the first time the Wolverines have been shut out in the 1st half since 2020 against Wisconsin.

The Sooners took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead. A John Mateer 9-yard pass to Deion Burks capped off the 5:00-minute drive. It's Mateer's 4th TD pass of the season.

Michigan looked to tie the game with a 13-play, 72-yard drive, but that ended with a 32-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide.

The Sooners found the end zone again on their final drive of the 1st half. Oklahoma went 80 yards in 10 plays, with a John Mateer 2-yard TD run to finish the drive.

Michigan began the second half with a 75-yard touchdown run, and the Sooners answered with a touchdown of their own to extend the lead to 21-7. After an OU muffed punt, Michigan added on a field goal to make the score 21-10. A quick punt for the Sooners led to another field goal for Michigan, who is now down 21-13 entering the fourth quarter.

Here's a look at the first half by the numbers:

160 - passing yards by John Mateer in the 1st half. He went 12-of-18

221 -  total offense by OU in the 1st half (61 rushing and 160 passing)

92 - receiving yards for Deion Burks, OU's leading receiver in the 1st half. He had 6 catches on 9 targets

2.5 - TFL by OU linebacker Kendall Daniels

118 - total offense by Michigan in the 1st half (42 rushing, 76 passing)

4 - number of penalties for Oklahoma in the 1st half, totaling 43 yards

Halftime Notes:

• The first-half shutout is Oklahoma’s first since the 2024 season opener vs. Temple (OU led 34-0 at halftime of that game).

• Oklahoma outgained Michigan 221 to 118 in total yards, 160 to 76 in passing yards and 61 to 42 in rushing yards. The Sooners averaged 6.1 yards per play to Michigan’s 4.2.

• Oklahoma scored on its opening drive, going 75 yards in 12 plays and scoring on a 9-yard pass from QB John Mateer to WR Deion Burks (from Inkster, Mich.). OU scored its first touchdown last week on its third possession of the game.

• Mateer completed 12 of 18 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown and rushed nine times for 30 yards and a score.

• Mateer’s rushing touchdown, which came with 22 seconds left in the first half, was the 20th of his career (he had 18 rushing TDs at Washington State) and second of the season.

• Burks led all receivers with six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown in the first half. The TD reception was his second of the season, fifth at Oklahoma and the 12th of his career.

• LB Kendal Daniels registered a game-high 2.5 tackles for loss in the first half and tied for the OU lead with four tackles. LB Kip Lewis and DB Peyton Bowen also had four tackles in the first half.

• DL Taylor Wein made his first career start (at defensive end) and notched one tackle in the first half.

• Other players making their first OU starts were freshman OL Michael Fasusi, redshirt junior OL Jake Maikkula, redshirt senior OL Derek Simmons and junior RB Jaydn Ott.