By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Oklahoma turned a breather of a game sandwiched between tougher tests into a bit of child’s play at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions.
OU coach Brent Venables says his team’s performance when they’re on “resembles recess.”
John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown, adding a 51-yard rushing score. Tory Blaylock rushed for 100 yards and a pair of TDs to lead No. 13 Oklahoma to a 42-3 victory over Temple on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This is a very hungry, driven, humble, tough, high-standard group of young men that like to be pushed, like to be challenged, they like to practice,” Venables said. “When they play together, it does, it kind of resembles recess. I say that respectfully. They have fun.”
The Sooners (3-0) had tons of fun early when they scored on their first four possessions and took a 25-0 lead in the first half.
OU made a rare trip to the East Coast and boasted a solid turnout of fans — even while the marching band stayed home — and crimson and cream were the primary colors among an announced crowd of 24,927 fans. Even with the solid OU turnout, that number failed the eye test — though the Sooners looked every bit a playoff contender as advertised.
Jovantae Barnes scored a 3-yard rushing TD on the opening drive and OU converted the 2-point conversion for the 8-0 lead. The Owls (2-1) made a nice defensive stand on the next drive, with a sack and a tackle for a loss that pushed the Sooners into a fourth-and-long. No problem for OU. Tate Sandell promptly kicked a 52-yard field goal.
So it went from there. Blaylock added TD runs of 6 and 18 yards in the second quarter for the Sooners and the expected rout — they were a 24-point favorite, per BetMGM Sportsbook — was on. OU also beat Temple 51-3 in 2024.
Mateer, the former Washington State QB and one of the most coveted players out of the transfer portal, threw a 6-yard TD pass to Xavier Robinson in the second half and made it 42-3 with a 51-yard scoring run later in the third. Mateer leads the nation with at least one rushing and one passing touchdown in nine straight games.
Poll Implications
The Sooners could rise into the top 10 if there are a few upsets on the rest of the Saturday slate.
Injuries
OU wide receiver Keontez Lewis left the game late in the first half after he took a blow to the head when Mateer had a pass intercepted. Lewis was examined in the sideline medical tent and walked to the locker room on his own power.
Strike Out the Band
The Pride of Oklahoma marching band wrote on social media that budget constraints forced it to stay home instead of traveling to Philadelphia. The Saint Joseph’s pep band pinch-hit for OU and led “Boomer Sooner” for the game.
The Pride of Oklahoma wrote the band would still travel to all Southeastern Conference road games this season. The full band will travel to Texas and the pep band will travel to South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. The social media post said it was believed to be the first time the band had stand-ins play for it at a football game.
The Pride of Oklahoma has played at OU games for more than a century and includes members from over 70 different majors at the school. The band wrote on social media there are 342 members this year and that it was “actually going to be more expensive to take a fractional group to Philadelphia than all other SEC games combined.”
Targeting Troubles
Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas was ejected for targeting that should earn the All-SEC selection an automatic suspension for the first half of next week’s game.
Coach Venables said after the win that he had yet to see on tape the play that earned Thomas the ejection. He said the Sooners would likely appeal the decision.
Thomas was tossed in the third quarter for a high hit on Owls quarterback Evan Simon. The flag was thrown for roughing the passer but upgraded to targeting after a video review.
Thomas was a breakout star last season with nine sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 11 hurries. Six of those nine sacks came in the fourth quarter with Oklahoma protecting leads. His potential suspension could be be a big early blow for the Sooners when they head to No. 24 Auburn. He had two sacks in last year’s game against the Tigers.
The Takeaway
Oklahoma: The Sooners made use of the breather in their schedule following a win last week over then-No. 15 Michigan and another Top 25 game next week against Auburn. They held the Owls to 26 yards rushing and have allowed only 254 yards passing total over the first three games.
Temple: The Owls totaled 97 points in their two opening wins but were no match for the Sooners. They have time to work on their next Oklahoma scouting report — they don’t go back to Norman for the scheduled third game in this series until 2028.
“The moment just seemed a little bit too big for us,” Temple coach K.C. Keeler said of the brutal first half.
