WSU’s John Mateer ‘a warrior’ for Cougars in Apple Cup win over UW

SEATTLE – It has been known for a while that Washington State quarterback John Mateer, a redshirt sophomore, is a good runner. He’s now showing opponents he can hurt them with his arm, too.

Mateer had 307 yards of total offense, ran for a pair of long touchdowns and threw for another score, helping the Cougars defeat the Huskies 24-19 on Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field.

“You know, he’s just getting started,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert said. “This is his third start, and he’s passing and running. He’s just a warrior out there.”

It was clear early that a top priority for the Washington defense was to contain Mateer’s running, and the Huskies used linebacker Carson Bruener as a spy on Mateer for when he did tuck the ball in and run.

For the most part it worked, but Mateer, who was used last season in spot situations and almost always to run, got away twice in the first half.

A 23-yard run late in the first quarter gave WSU a 10-7 lead.

Then, facing third-and-20, Mateer ran in from 25 yards out with 29 seconds left in the half to give Washington State a 17-13 halftime lead and the momentum heading into the second half.

“That one felt good,” Mateer said. “We got backed up … and then we just popped it loose. It was good to get some points.”

Mateer also had a good opening half with his arm, throwing for 182 yards. He led the Cougars to a touchdown on their only drive of the third quarter, connecting with Josh Meredith on a 16-yard scoring pass to give WSU a 24-16 lead.

That proved to be enough points, with the WSU defense holding up after a Mateer interception, and then again when Washington got inside the WSU 2-yard-line late in the game.

“After he threw the interception, I just looked him in the eye and he’s like, ‘I got you, coach,’ ” Dickert said. “And that’s John Mateer. I think that’s the special nature of who he is, and when that’s the leader of your football team, you’ve got something really special.”

“I believe in the defense,” Mateer said, but he was preparing to be ready in case the Huskies took the lead with about a minute left.

“If they do score, we’ve got to go,” he said. “So I was ready for the opportunity, and I just kept myself going, kept myself alert, and luckily, they did stop them.”

Dickert said nothing fazes Mateer.

“He came over to me in the fourth quarter, and he said, ‘Are you having fun yet, coach?’ ” Dickert said. “That’s just the way he is.”

Mateer, who completed 17 of 34 passes for 245 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, was having a lot of fun celebrating the win.

“I don’t know if it’s set in yet, but seeing all the guys super happy and excited feels good,” said Mateer, who rushed for a team-leading 62 yards on 16 carries. “I am super happy for all the coaches and myself, too. It means so much to these guys.”

Mateer said he enjoyed the atmosphere at Lumen Field.

“You walk out there pregame and you’re in an NFL stadium, there is music and it’s just a super cool moment,” he said. “We’re all blessed to be able to do it – not everybody gets to be in this position so thank you to all the people that have put me in this position – but it’s awesome, and you really try to stay calm in those moments.”

Mateer did, and that’s part of the reason it was the Cougars celebrating afterward, but he was quick to pass credit to his teammates.

“The defense held them to 19 points and that’s a good offense … and a good team,” he said. “That was a team win, truly.”