GAINESVILLE, FL — Oklahoma‘s drive began with 2:41 left in the third quarter.
Twelve minutes and 45 seconds later, it ended in the end zone. John Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna III for a 6-yard touchdown to give the Sooners a 13-point lead and seal the victory.
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The play capped a 20-play, 89-yard drive. It was the longest drive by time and plays in at least 18 years, per SoonerStats.com.
OU’s soul-crushing drive drained The Swamp and helped it defeat No. 24 Florida 23-7 Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Sooners, led by interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten, totaled 352 yards.
More: OU football dominates Florida as John Mateer, offense shine in Jason Witten’s OC debut
Witten’s group looked different from the jump.
OU scored on its first two possessions Saturday night for the first time in an SEC game since it joined the conference. In fact, the Sooners scored on three of their four first-half possessions.
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Third- and fourth-down efficiency was key as OU finished 10 for 18 on third and 1 for 1 on fourth.
The Sooners’ two longest drives by plays and time came with the one in the fourth quarter and a 15-play, 84-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.
Here are more takeaways from OU’s (5-4) win:
Mateer was sensational.
Fresh off a disappointing showing last week in a loss to South Carolina, he completed 21 of his 33 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards. Mateer’s mentor, Ben Arbuckle, was fired this past Monday.
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On the key fourth-quarter drive, Mateer was 6 for 7 with 50 yards and a touchdown with 23 rushing yards.
Owen Heincke hit Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. as he fired a pass toward the end zone. The pass was picked by Courtland Guillory.Heinecke, who was all over the field Saturday, was greeted on the OU sideline by a celebrating Brent Venables. He logged a team-high 10 tackles, including half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win.
When in doubt on third down, find Jacob Jordan.
The junior wide receiver converted four third-down receptions in the win, including one for 18 yards on the game-sealing drive in the fourth quarter.
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Jordan finished with four catches for 36 yards.
Witten dialed up a trick play for his first touchdown.
Mateer faked a handoff to Tory Blaylock, then faked a reverse to Isaiah Sategna III before finding Hayden Hansen wide open in the end zone.
Hansen, who transferred to OU in January after four years at Florida, registered his second touchdown of the season on the 3-yard play in the second quarter.
Witten’s first touchdown call as interim offensive coordinator was fittingly to a tight end.
Next, the Sooners host No. 10 Ole Miss next Saturday at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Ole Miss fell to Georgia on Saturday night.
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Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Five OU football takeaways as Jason Witten jolts Sooners’ offense in rout at Florida
