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Sep. 1—PULLMAN — John Mateer would like to say he wasn’t nervous.
“I would try to deny it,” Mateer said. “But yeah, I was a little nervous, unfortunately, going into that first drive.”
Any nerves Mateer may have had were expelled when he orchestrated eight consecutive touchdown drives, sparked by a 30-yard, acrobatic diving touchdown grab from Oregon transfer Kris Hutson.
Mateer passed for 352 yards on 11 completions, five touchdowns and no interceptions as the Washington State Cougars kicked off the Pac-2-era with a 70-30 blowout of the Portland State Vikings on Saturday at Gesa Field.
Welcome to the John Mateer era
Those quick to doubt may have changed the channel after WSU’s opening three-and-out, but an extra 10 minutes of viewing would have quickly demonstrated how dominant a Mateer-led offense could be.
Mateer began his first start by handing the ball to running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker, who got stuffed three yards shy of the line of scrimmage. Mateer’s first pass into the flat bounced off junior Josh Meredith’s hands. His next pass on third-and-13 fell about five yards in front of Meredith on a deep heave up the left sideline.
After shaking the first-drive jitters, Mateer began to hit his stride and build his brand as the Cougars’ groovy, Texas-born, shaggy gunslinger.
In eight consecutive drives, Mateer led the Cougs to the promised land. When he left the game midway through the third quarter, he had already filled up the stat sheet. In addition to his passing, he added 55 yards with his legs on two carries — one a 15-yard first down conversion and the other a 40-yard TD run.
“I was confident going into the week,” Mateer said. “These coaches prepared me really well, and the players around me helped me succeed, so no, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be. I’ve been here for a while, and I think I’m mature…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mateer-piles-6-tds-powers-121600687.html
Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
Publish date : 2024-09-01 12:16:00
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