Brent Venables gives health update on John Mateer coming out of Texas loss
By David Wasson
Published:
One of the major storylines of Saturday’s annual Red River Rivalry clash between then-No. 6 Oklahoma and unranked Texas was the unexpected return of Sooners quarterback John Mateer.
Just 17 days after surgery to repair a broken bone in his right throwing hand, Mateer started for Oklahoma and was lackluster in the Sooners’ 23-6 loss. Mateer finished 20-of-38 for 202 yards in the air with 3 interceptions. He had 14 carries for 5 rushing yards, and was sacked 5 times by the Texas defense.
A day after the loss to the arch-rival Longhorns, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said that Mateer didn’t practice at all against the Sooners’ first-team defense leading up to the loss. Venables also indicated that Mateer didn’t re-injure his hand against Texas, only that he was “a little out of rhythm.”
Mateer only missed Oklahoma’s 44-0 victory over Kent State with the hand injury, which he sustained against Auburn on Sept. 20. Through 5 games in 2025, Mateer has passed for 1,417 yards and 6 touchdowns with 6 interceptions.
Now ranked No. 14, Oklahoma plays at South Carolina on Saturday (12:45 pm, SEC Network).
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
