Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
Final
Football
35
vs Illinois State
3
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Saturday, September 13
Philadelphia, PA
11 a.m.
University of Oklahoma
at
Temple
Game Primer: OU at Temple
September 12, 2025 | Football
#13 Oklahoma
Temple
Saturday, Sept. 13 / 11 a.m. CT / Philadelphia, Pa.
OPENING KICK
• No. 13/16 Oklahoma (2-0) plays its first road game of the season when it takes on Temple (2-0) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT in Philadelphia, Pa.. The game, which will take place at Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Philadelphia Eagles), will be televised by ESPN2 with Roy Philpott, Sam Acho and Marilyn Payne announcing.
• The 2025 season marks the 131st in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference titles, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, fourth with their 419 NFL Draft picks and fifth with their 58 bowl appearances.
• Oklahoma has played six games in the state of Pennsylvania and owns a 3-2-1 record. One of the losses came against Temple in Philadelphia (1942), while the other five games were played at Pitt (1953, '57, '65, '71 and '84). OU's last game in the Keystone State was a 42-10 victory over Pitt in 1984. The Sooners were ranked No. 15 and the Panthers No. 17.
• Since the start of the 2000 season, Oklahoma owns a 60-17 (.779) record in true road games against teams unranked in the AP poll. That includes an 11-1 mark in non-conference outings (won the last eight). The lone non-conference road loss to an unranked team during the span came in 2005 at UCLA (No. 21 OU lost 41-24).
• Saturday's contest will mark the 1,354th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .723 all-time winning percentage (952-348-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.736), Alabama (.733), Michigan (.732) and Notre Dame (.731). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 708 wins (29 more than Alabama, the program with the next most) and owns a .762 winning percentage.
• A nation-high-tying nine of OU's 2025 opponents, including all eight SEC foes, are ranked in this week's AP Top 25: No. 3 LSU, No. 7 Texas, No. 11 South Carolina, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 19 Alabama, No. 23 Michigan, No. 24 Auburn and No. 25 Missouri. The most ranked teams the Sooners have faced in a regular season is six in 2016.
KEY STORYLINES
• Saturday will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Oklahoma and Temple, with OU holding a 2-1 series edge. The No. 16 Sooners posted a 51-3 season-opening win last year, while the other matchups took place in the 1940s. In the first meeting in Norman on Nov. 23, 1940, the Sooners prevailed 9-6 in head coach Tom Stidham's final season. On Nov. 21, 1942, in Philadelphia, head coach Dewey Luster's OU squad lost 14-7 at Temple Stadium. Both teams were unranked in each of the first two meetings.
• Temple is under the direction of first-year head coach K.C. Keeler, who spent the last 11 seasons at Sam Houston State and led the Bearkats to a 97-39 record (.713). He is in his 32nd season as a collegiate head coach (also spent nine years at Rowan and then 11 at Delaware) and has won two FCS national championships (2003 at Delaware [15-1 record] and 2020 at Sam Houston [10-0]).
• The Owls rank in the top 20 nationally in both total offense (18th; 513.5 ypg) and total defense (15th; 211.5 ypg). They posted a 42-10 season-opening win at UMass before beating Howard 55-7 at home on Saturday.
• The Sooners' 2024 defense was its best under head coach Brent Venables, as they ranked 19th nationally with their 318.2 yards allowed per game (their fewest since 2009). Through two games this season, OU ranks 19th by surrendering just 219.5 yards per contest (151 vs. Illinois State and 288 vs. Michigan). It also ranks sixth in passing defense (88.0 ypg), seventh in third-down-defense (16.0% conversion rate) and 10th in scoring defense (8.0 ppg).
• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer, the nation's top transfer from last season according to ESPN, is off to a stellar start in a Sooners uniform, throwing for 331.0 yards per game (four passing TDs) and rushing for a team-high 49.0 yards per contest (three rushing TDs). He ranks second nationally and first in the SEC with his 380.0 yards of total offense per game.
• Mateer has registered at least one passing TD and at least one rushing TD in each of his last eight games, the longest active streak nationally and tied for the fifth-longest streak since the start of the 2000 season.
• Oklahoma is the only team in the country that ranks in the top 15 in both passing offense and passing defense. The Sooners rank 14th nationally in passing offense (331.0 ypg) and sixth in passing defense (88.0 ypg). Last year, OU ranked 119th in passing offense (175.8 ypg) and 43rd in passing defense (203.2 ypg).
RECAPPING THE WIN OVER MICHIGAN
• No. 18/24 Oklahoma held No. 15/13 Michigan to 288 yards and 12 first downs in posting a 24-13 home win on Saturday. It was the second meeting between the storied programs (OU beat UM 14-6 in the 1976 Orange Bowl to win the 1975 national championship).
• The Sooners limited the Wolverines to nine completions on 24 attempts. The 37.5 completion percentage was the lowest by an OU opponent since the 2023 season.
• Oklahoma, which snapped Michigan's nine-game streak of holding opponents to 17 or fewer points, converted 10 of 18 third- and fourth-down plays (56%) while holding UM to a 3-for-15 performance (20%).
• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer accounted for 344 total yards and three touchdowns. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown while rushing 19 times for 74 yards and two TDs.
• With the Sooners leading 21-13 in the fourth quarter, Mateer led a 16-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 8:27 and resulted in a field goal with 1:44 left to seal the victory.
• Mateer's rushing touchdowns were a 2-yarder with 22 seconds left in the first half that gave OU a 14-0 lead and a 10-yarder with 10:12 remaining in the third quarter that put the Sooners up 21-7.
• Redshirt senior wide receiver Deion Burks, who hails from Inkster, Mich., had a game-high seven receptions for 101 yards, his most yards as a Sooner. He caught a nine-yard TD pass on the game's first drive.
• Senior tight end Jaren Kanak, a converted linebacker, was targeted six times and had five receptions for 69 yards.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Owen Heinecke saw his most action as a Sooner and registered a team- and career-high seven tackles (one for loss) and a pass breakup.
• Redshirt senior linebacker Kendal Daniels logged four tackles, including a game-high 2.5 TFLs.
• Michael Fasusi became the first OU freshman to start at left tackle in his first career game. He played 66 snaps and allowed just one quarterback pressure on 33 pass-blocking plays.
• Four other players made their first OU starts: senior running back Jaydn Ott, redshirt junior offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, redshirt offensive lineman Derek Simmons and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Wein.
• Central Oklahoma transfer punter Grayson Miller made his FBS debut on Saturday, averaging 47.8 yards on four boots. He had a long of 59 yards and two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.
LAST YEAR VS. TEMPLE
• In the program's first-ever Friday night home game, Oklahoma excelled in all three phases of a 51-3 win over Temple on Aug. 30, 2024. It was the fourth time in head coach Brent Venables' OU head coaching tenure the Sooners did not give up a touchdown.
• Offensively, sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold completed 17 of 25 passes (68%) for 141 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He became just the third Sooner to ever pass for at least four TDs in their first career home start, joining Josh Heupel in 1999 and Spencer Rattler in 2020.
• Junior wide receiver Deion Burks finished with six catches for 36 yards and became the first Sooner to catch three TD passes in a season opener and the first OU player to haul in three TDs in his school debut. The Purdue transfer's scoring grabs covered 14, 8 and 5 yards. OU's other TD pass was to another newcomer, Southeastern Louisiana tight end transfer Bauer Sharp. It was a 14-yard connection on OU's opening drive.
• The Sooners averaged 6.1 yards per rush and were led by freshman Taylor Tatum, who racked up 69 yards on just five carries (13.8 average), including a game-long 35-yarder and an eight-yard TD. Redshirt junior Sam Franklin carried four times for 45 yards (11.2 average; long of 30) and junior Jovantae Barnes carried five times for 33 yards (6.6 average).
• On defense, OU held the Owls to 197 yards and 3.2 yards per play. Temple gained 128 yards on 12-of-25 passing and 69 yards on 36 rushes (1.9 average).
• The Sooners registered six takeaways on the night, their most since 2003. After recovering six fumbles all of the 2023 season, they recovered four against Temple (most nationally on the week), and added two INTs. Junior linebacker Jaren Kanak returned one of the recoveries (on an Owls punt return) 21 yards for a TD.
• The game was OU's first since 1987 to finish +6 in turnover margin. The Sooners converted all six takeaways into points (34 total).
• Sixth-year kicker Tyler Keltner, who transferred from Florida State, was 3 for 3 on field goals (50, 42 and 24 yards) and made all six PAT tries in his OU debut. He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
• OU finished with six sacks and nine tackles for loss. Redshirt freshman Markus Strong notched solo sacks on each of the game's last two plays.
OU ROAD SHOW
• Oklahoma has won 34 of its last 46 true road games (.739) going back to 2014, with eight of the 12 losses one-score outcomes.
• OU's 2019 defeat at Kansas State snapped the Sooners' 22-game true road winning streak (it hadn't lost since Oct. 4, 2014, at TCU), which was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II. During the 22-game streak, OU outscored foes 1,076-626 (49-28 average) and outgained them by 3,621 yards (583-419 average).
• The Sooners have outgained their opponent in 32 of their last 46 true road games.
• OU has scored at least 30 points in 41 of its last 51 true road games (school-record 35-game streak was stopped in 2021 at Baylor). The next highest team total over its last 51 true road contests is 36 (Ohio State).
NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
• For the second straight season, Oklahoma's schedule is among the nation's most challenging. Heading into 2025, the Sooners' strength of schedule was ranked as the country's toughest in ESPN's FPI.
• OU will play a nation-high-tying nine games this season against teams ranked in this week's AP poll: No. 3 LSU (home), No. 7 Texas (in Dallas), No. 11 South Carolina (away), No. 15 Tennessee (away), No. 17 Ole Miss (home), No. 19 Alabama (away), No. 23 Michigan (home), No. 24 Auburn (home) and No. 25 Missouri (home).
MATEER'S SUPER START
• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State in January, has completed 51 of 72 pass attempts (72%) for 662 yards and four touchdowns and two interceptions through two games. He is also OU's leading rusher with 98 yards and three TDs.
• Mateer ranks in the top 15 nationally in total offense (second; 380.0 ypg), passing yards per game (sixth; 331.0), points responsible for per game (seventh; 21.0), rushing TDs (10th; three) and completions per game (12th; 25.5).
• Mateer's 662 passing yards are the second most by an OU quarterback through the first two games of a career (Josh Heupel had 773 in the first two contests of the 1999 season).
MORE ON THE OFFENSE
• Senior tight end Jaren Kanak played linebacker his first three years (started nine games in 2023 and one last season) but converted to tight end in the spring. The former high school receiver and quarterback has caught 10 passes for 159 yards over the first two games. That's 36% of the receiving yards amassed by OU's tight ends all of last season (438).
• Redshirt senior receiver Deion Burks, who spent three years at Purdue and is in his second at OU, caught seven passes and one TD in each of the first two games in 2025. His 88 yards vs. Illinois State and 101 vs. Michigan represent his two highest totals at Oklahoma.
• Fellow redshirt senior receiver Keontez Lewis has 12 receptions for 155 yards on the young season and caught two TDs against Illinois State. His nine catches vs. the Redbirds were a career high (he finished with 119 receiving yards).
• Oklahoma is the only SEC team and one of just two squads nationally (Baylor is the other) with three players who each average at least 70.0 receiving yards per game (Burks 94.5, Kanak 79.5 and Lewis 77.5).
• OU has scored on all seven of its red-zone trips this season (six touchdowns and one field goal).
• The Sooners threw for at least 270 yards twice in 2024 (284 vs. Maine and 275 vs. Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl), but have already done it twice this season (392 vs. Illinois State and 270 vs. Michigan).
• Redshirt senior offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu is the only OU offensive lineman to start both games this season. He started both contests at right guard.
MORE ON THE DEFENSE
• Oklahoma ranks No. 4 nationally (min. two games) in first downs allowed (20), No. 6 in passing defense (88.0 ypg), No. 7 in passing efficiency defense rating (76.8), No. 7 (first in the SEC) in third-down conversion percentage defense (16.0%; 4 for 25), No. 10 in scoring defense (8.0 ppg), No. 18 in total defense (219.5 ypg) and No. 23 in red zone defense (67%).
• The Sooners have limited opponents to just 176 passing yards through two games this season (34 against Illinois State and 142 tonight). It is the fewest passing yards OU has allowed through two games since 1998 (114 combined vs. North Texas and TCU).
• The strength of the Sooners' defense very well could be its line, with three players returning who started a combined 33 games last season (senior Damonic Williams 12, senior R Mason Thomas 11 and freshman Jayden Jackson 10) and another who started three and saw extensive field time (senior Gracen Halton). That quartet totaled 118 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 16 QB hurries last season. Phil Steele ranked OU's defensive line as the best in the country this summer, and ESPN/SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic said in May the Sooners have the league's best defensive line, "... and it ain't even close."
• Linebackers Owen Heinecke and Sammy Omosigho pace the team with 11 tackles each despite neither of them starting a game. Omosigho has 2.5 tackles for loss (1.5 sacks) while Heinecke has 2.0.
• Against Illinois State, Courtland Guillory became only the second OU true freshman to start at cornerback in a season opener (the other was P.J. Mbanasor in 2015). Guillory has four tackles, a pass breakup and a QB hurry through two games.
• OU has not allowed any points in the first, second or fourth quarters this season. Opponents' 16 points (one touchdown and three field goals) have come in the third quarter.
• This is the fourth straight season (all under head coach Brent Venables) OU has allowed only one total touchdown in its first two games.
• The Sooners have yet to force a turnover.
A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS
• Oklahoma leads the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in net punting average (46.0). Redshirt sophomore Jacob Ulrich (first-team All-Conference USA last season at Kennesaw State) averaged 47.5 yards on two punts against Illinois State while redshirt junior Grayson Miller averaged 47.8 yards on his four punts vs. Michigan. Both are first-year Sooners.
• Redshirt junior Tate Sandell has handled placekicking and kickoff duties the first two games. The first-year Sooner is 1 for 2 on field goal tries after making 19 of 23 last year at UTSA.
• Redshirt junior Ben Anderson is OU's long snapper for the third straight year. He earned third-team All-SEC honors last season and is a 2025 third-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele.
• Oklahoma's special teams units were drastically improved in 2024 under first-year coordinator Doug Deakin. After finishing No. 107 in the FEI (Fremeau Efficiency Index) special teams ratings in 2023 the year before Deakin's arrival, the Sooners jumped to No. 34 last season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST
• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (708) than any other program (next most is 679 by Alabama).
• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 31).
• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (45), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).
• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma's 27 (Alabama also has 27).
• Since the start of the 2000 season, OU ranks second with 18 seasons of at least 10 wins and ranks second with 263 victories.
• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,149 points scored. Boise State (12,747) is second and Oregon (12,506) third.
• Oklahoma's 81 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama and Ohio State rank second with 77 each). Since 2000, OU has produced 31 consensus All-Americans, tied with Ohio State behind only Alabama.
EXTRA POINTS
• The Sooners are 8-4-1 all-time as the No. 13-ranked team in the AP poll (2-2 on the road). Oklahoma was last ranked 13th in 2023 when it defeated TCU 69-45 at home. OU's last road contest as the AP's 13th-ranked team was in 2012 at West Virginia (50-49 win behind Landry Jones' then-school-record 554 passing yards). Its last loss when ranked No. 13 was in 2011 (44-10 at Oklahoma State).
• Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray played the 2015 NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles, who play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, site of Saturday's game. Murray spent seven years in the NFL and was named the league's offensive player of the year in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Saturday's game will mark OU's first in an NFL stadium in the regular season since the No. 3 Sooners lost to No. 15 Houston 33-23 in the 2016 opener an NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. Other current NFL stadiums in which OU has played belong to the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
• Of Oklahoma's 111 players, 45 (or 41%) are newcomers. That group is comprised of 23 freshmen and 22 transfers (seven seniors, 10 juniors and five sophomores).
• Of the 74 players on OU's weeks 1 and 2 depth chart, 19 (or 26%) were freshmen. That includes 11 true freshmen (five offense, five defense, one special teams) and eight redshirt freshmen (two offense, five defense, one special teams).
• In their 18 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 175-32 off turnovers. In their 11 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 105-27 off turnovers.
• Since the start of the 2014 season, OU ranks fourth nationally (second in Power Four) with its 5.3 yards per rush and seventh (fourth in Power Four) with its 352 rushing TDs.
• Since offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh joined the OU staff in 2013, the Sooners rank first nationally in total offense (493.9 ypg), second in yards per pass attempt (9.1), third in pass efficiency rating (164.6) and scoring offense (39.4 ppg), fourth in yards per rush (5.3; tied) and sixth in completion percentage (66.0) and in yards per completion (13.8). It is the only program in the country to rank in the top 15 in passing offense (eighth at 279.8 ypg) and rushing offense (12th at 214.1 ypg) during that span.
• The Sooners have won their last 83 games when holding opponents to under 21 points. Their last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).
• Since the start of the 2012 season, OU is 93-7 when scoring at least 35 points and 80-4 when scoring at least 40.
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Monday, September 08
