Brent Venables updates status of star defender, scolds Oklahoma offense

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said the status of his star defensive player was unclear, but he left no doubt how he felt about his team’s offense.

The Sooners play at No. 2 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and injured defensive tackle David Stone and struggling quarterback John Mateer are the two biggest storylines.

“I know it was reported that he was hurt in (Monday’s) practice,” Venables said of Stone, a projected first-round NFL pick and All-American. “He wasn’t on offense. I guess that was out there. … When he got banged up, he ran his knee into a scout team player in a jog-through and kind of popped out.

“We’ll see where he’s at … the X-rays were positive, I guess. He said his pain (is) a 2 out of 10 right now, so we’ll go from there.”

The Sooners offense, meanwhile, has had a hard time going anywhere on the football field as it ranks last in yards per game in the SEC and second-to-last in points per game among league teams.

“Let’s not make it more than it needs to be, but those small screwups are a big deal, it affects everything,” Venables said at his press conference. “This is my message to the players, man, ‘That stuff ain’t OK,’ and if it happens in practice, it’s going to happen in the game.

“We’re fortunate we won the (New Mexico) game; does that shake your confidence? Yeah, it sure does.”

Mateer, a second-year transfer from Washington State who was one of the Heisman Trophy favorites last season before injuring his thumb, ranks ninth among SEC quarterbacks in Passer Rating, which measures QB efficiency.

Mateer is completing 62.7% of his passes and has six TD throws and three interceptions with a rating a 154.2, well off the pace of SEC leader Gunner Stockton, but ahead of such notable names as Jared Curtis (147.8), Arch Manning (139.3) and LaNorris Sellers (138.0).

Still, it’s not up to the high expectations set for Mateer, and the Oklahoma player acknowledged that after the 14-6 win over New Mexico on Saturday.

“I’m tired of getting up here and saying that I keep making mistakes,” Mateer said. “I believe it will change, I do, I’m being tested, and I believe I’ll persevere.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the Bulldogs defense will do its best to prepare for the Sooners’ talented quarterback.

“Obviously his athleticism pops out at you, he’s hard to tackle, he breaks a lot of tackles, he’s tough,” Smart said. “You talk about the run game, he runs inside, he runs outside. He runs to pass, he scrambles to throw. He’s made explosives with his legs.