Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (09/17/2026) — The Oklahoma Sooners leaned on a stingy defense and a pair of touchdowns from quarterback John Mateer to hold off the New Mexico Lobos 14-6 on Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.
It was not a game the Sooners will frame for the trophy case, but it was a win, and it came the way many September grinders do: with the defense refusing to allow a touchdown and the offense doing just enough to keep New Mexico at arm's length.
How It Happened
Oklahoma finished with 299 total yards, and the bulk of that production came through the air. Mateer completed 19 of 26 passes for 238 yards and accounted for both Sooners touchdowns. Tate Sandell converted both extra points to account for Oklahoma's final margin.
The Sooners' ground game never found much traction, managing just 61 rushing yards on the night. That imbalance showed up in the time-of-possession battle, where Oklahoma held the ball for 25:52 — meaning the Lobos controlled the clock for a majority of the game. New Mexico's offense stayed on the field, but it never turned those possessions into six points.
That is where the Oklahoma defense earned its keep. The Lobos scored six points, all without reaching the end zone, and the Sooners' pass rush was a recurring problem for New Mexico. Adepoju Adebawore recorded two sacks, repeatedly disrupting drives at the moments when the Lobos were trying to build momentum.
Oklahoma moved the chains 14 times and converted seven third downs, a respectable efficiency number that kept the offense from stalling completely on a night when the run game was not there.
Turning Point
Without a single explosive stretch to point to, the game turned on the Sooners' ability to keep New Mexico out of the end zone. Every time the Lobos put together a drive, Oklahoma's defense tightened, and Adebawore's two sacks were the clearest examples of that pattern. Holding an opponent to six points while giving it the ball for more than half the game requires stop after stop, and the Sooners delivered them.
On the other side, Mateer's efficiency in the passing game — completing 73 percent of his throws — provided the two scoring drives that made the defensive stand hold up. In a two-score game, two touchdowns was all Oklahoma needed.
Star of the Game
John Mateer was the engine of the Oklahoma offense. His 238 passing yards on 19-of-26 accuracy represented nearly 80 percent of the Sooners' total output, and his two touchdowns were the only trips to the end zone by either team. With the running game limited to 61 yards, Mateer's decision-making and ball placement kept Oklahoma on schedule.
Honorable mention belongs to Adebawore, whose two sacks headlined a defensive performance that never bent far enough for New Mexico to break through.
What It Means
For the Oklahoma Sooners, this is a win to bank and move past. The passing game looks functional and Mateer is clearly comfortable distributing the ball, but the rushing attack and the three turnovers on the stat sheet are the kind of issues that a nonconference opponent can absorb and an SEC opponent will punish. Oklahoma will want to clean up the ball security and find a more reliable ground game before conference play tightens the margins.
The defense, meanwhile, delivered exactly what a team needs on a night when the offense is uneven. Keeping any opponent out of the end zone for 60 minutes is a foundation Oklahoma can build on, and Adebawore's pass-rush production is a positive sign for the front seven.
For the New Mexico Lobos, the result stings because of how close it was. Controlling the clock against an SEC opponent on the road is no small thing, and the Lobos defense kept Oklahoma under 300 total yards. The difference was finishing drives — six points from a game's worth of possession time will not beat many Power Four teams, but the competitiveness of the effort gives New Mexico something to carry forward into Mountain West play.
Oklahoma moves on with the win, its defense intact, and a list of corrections that will define the next several weeks of its season.
