Less than 20 days out from surgery for a broken bone in his right hand, and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is positioned to play Saturday against Texas. The Washington State transfer has been listed as probable the last two days on the SEC availability report.
Sources have told On3 that after surgery, Mateer told players and staff his goal was to play against Texas. How John Mateer’s right hand feels will obviously be key. A source said it was “iffy” earlier this week, but he’s clearly headed in the right direction ahead of Saturday.
Some sources have gone as far as to say that, barring a setback, Mateer is expected to play Saturday against Texas in the Red River Rivalry. But other sources have told On3 how his right hand feels on Saturday and going through pregame warmups will be critical in his availability. If he does play Saturday, it will be thanks to an aggressive recovery plan.
One source told On3 earlier this week that they were “really optimistic” about the odds Mateer plays. Mateer injured his right hand during the first quarter of the Auburn game, but remained in the game. He went 24 of 36 for 271 yards and one touchdown in the win, helping the Sooners beat the Tigers with a fourth-quarter game-winning drive.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has remained coy about the injury. He previously said he assumed Mateer wouldn’t be available and went on to say the quarterback had done zero “good-on-good work.” Mateer emerged as a Heisman frontrunner in September.
If Mateer cannot play, it would be sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr. who starts. He started against Texas last year in place of Jackson Arnold. Against Kent State last week, Hawkins was 14 of 24 passing for 162 yards and three touchdowns while adding a score on the ground.
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