John Mateer builds game by watching OU football greats Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray

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5 days ago

ATLANTA — John Mateer didn't grow up rooting much for a specific school.
But OU football's new starting quarterback, who grew up in the Dallas area, watched and rooted for specific quarterbacks.
Former TCU star Trevone Boykin, who starred for the Horned Frogs from 2012-15, was at the top of that list.
There are plenty of others, though.
'Lamar (Jackson), Baker (Mayfield), Kyler (Murray),' Mateer said Wednesday at SEC media days. 'There's a lot. Max Duggan, I liked him a little bit because some people said I was a little like him, just the way he plays — so tough. There's more but there's a lot. I like to take little things from everybody's game.'
There are plenty of standout names on that list, but certainly Mayfield and Murray are the two that stand out most to OU fans.
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The quarterback duo, who won back-to-back Heisman trophies — Mayfield in 2017, Murray in 2018 — are two of the best quarterbacks in Sooners' history.
So what did Mateer take from each?
First up, Mayfield, who threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2017.
'I think Baker's toughness is just something that every quarterback needs to have,' Mateer said. 'I feel like if you're not giving everything you have then why should your other teammates when you're supposed to be the leader. So you've got to do it and he's so good. I go back and watch highlights because they're just fun to watch.'
And what has Mateer taken from watching Murray, who threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for 1,001 yards and 12 scores in his Heisman season?
'When Kyler played I just felt like he was running,' Mateer said. 'He was outrunning everybody every play and I'd love to do that. I'm not quite that fast, but something like that would be awesome.'
Mateer showed plenty of quickness last season, when he ran for 826 yards and 15 scores to go along with 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air.
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Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at [e-mail] or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What John Mateer learned from OU legends Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray