‘He was made of the right stuff’: Inside John Mateer’s winding path to becoming WSU’s QB1

Aug. 24—PULLMAN — Eric Morris saw the future one sunny afternoon in the Bay Area.

It was late in Washington State’s blowout win over Stanford in 2022, when Morris was the Cougars’ offensive coordinator, so he put heads together with head coach Jake Dickert and gave starting quarterback Cam Ward the rest of the game off.

In came John Mateer, a true freshman, for the fourth quarter. Morris had spent months recruiting Mateer out of the Dallas area, convincing him to flip from FCS Central Arkansas to WSU, so he figured he knew Mateer’s play style well enough. Strong arm. Lightning quick. Confident kid.

What Morris couldn’t be sure about until he saw it: How would Mateer fare in a Pac-12 game?

When the fourth quarter began, Mateer provided an answer . On his first play from scrimmage, he took a shotgun snap, faked a handoff and raced upfield, darting into open space for some 15 yards. Moments later, he faked another handoff, but this time he unfurled a long pass, placing a perfect ball into receiver Orion Peters’ arms in the end zone for a touchdown.

By the time the clock ran out on the Cougs’ 52-14 win, Mateer had completed 2 of 2 passes for 32 yards and one touchdown. He added four carries for 58 yards. Morris was hardly surprised. Mateer had shown off everything Morris saw in a workout months prior. It all added up.

But now Morris had seen the only thing he couldn’t have before. Mateer didn’t just have talent. He had moxie.

“That was the first time I kind of thought in my head, like, ‘This kid has that gamer mentality,’ ” said Morris, who is now North Texas’ head coach. “When he gets out there, nothing bothers him.”

It’s a key reason why, two years later, Mateer finds himself at the helm of WSU’s offense. He was named the Cougars’ starting quarterback last week, winning a competition with transfer Zevi Eckhaus that…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/made-stuff-inside-john-mateers-035900337.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-08-25 03:59:00

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