When Tennessee football hosts Oklahoma during SEC play this season, there is a chance the Sooners will be without their starting quarterback. John Mateer, a Washington State transfer, is in hot water after a gambling scandal has arisen. Screenshots of Venmo transactions from Mateer titled ‘sports gambling’ during his time at WSU have circulated around the internet, leading to questions about possible punishments.
On Tuesday morning, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Oklahoma officials were aware of the situation. Thamel posted that ‘Mateer has consistently denied to OU officials ever being involved with gambling, per a source.’
The titles of the transactions were ‘sports gambling’ and ‘sports gambling (UCLA vs. USC).’ Both were dated on Nov. 20, 2022. That season, Mateer played in just one game before redshirting. He completed both his pass attempts for 32 yards and a touchdown.
The ruling from the NCAA against sports gambling is written as such:
“NCAA rules ban participation in sports betting activities and prohibit providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports betting activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition. In other words, if you are a student-athlete, coach or athletics staff member, regardless of sport or division, you are not allowed to bet or provide any useful information that can influence a bet in any sport the NCAA sponsors at any level.”
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The No. 24 Vols will host the No. 18 Sooners on Nov. 1. Kickoff is set to be in the ‘flex’ spot, meaning it will either begin between 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET or 6-8 p.m. ET. A TV designation has not been announced yet.
Tennessee is 2-3 all-time against Oklahoma on the gridiron. This past season, the Vols went on the road to Norman and claimed a 25-15 win. This was a homecoming of sorts for UT coach Josh Heupel, who was a national champion quarterback for the Sooners and a longtime assistant coach.
Now, his former school will head to his new home with revenge on the table. Oklahoma now boasts a new quarterback in Mateer, who transfers in from Washington State. Cal running back Jaydn Ott will join him in the backfield as a notable addition.
It will be the first time Tennessee has hosted Oklahoma since 2015. The Vols welcomed Baker Mayfield and company to Knoxville by ‘checkering’ Neyland Stadium. Despite a strong start, Tennessee lost that game 31-24 in double overtime.
In 2014, the Vols lost 34-10 on the road. 1967 saw Tennessee lose in the Orange Bowl 26-24. UT won the Orange Bowl over OU 17-0 in 1938.
