ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers makes bold claim about Oklahoma QB John Mateer
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Red River Rivalry is on deck for Week 7 of SEC action, and the Oklahoma Sooners are still waiting to see what the status of star quarterback John Mateer will end up being come kickoff.
Mateer was listed as probable on the Thursday injury report that the Sooners put out, and all signs seem to indicate that he will at least attempt to play against Texas.
How effective Matter will end up being should he make the start remains to be seen, but ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers had a bold take regarding the Sooners’ gunslinger ahead of the pivotal matchup. Rodgers says Mateer is the “best player” in the nation when healthy.
“John Mateer is, when healthy, the best player in the entire country,” Rodgers said on Friday morning’s episode of Get Up. “How healthy he will be, I think, will be a determining factor, but to me, he’s even more important than this entire offense as a whole. They can not run the football unless John Mateer is on the field.
“Against Auburn, they had 32 total rushing yards, 29 of them were from Mateer. Not only is he a passer, but he’s their entire run game, so it’s going to be a long day against Texas if John Mateer isn’t healthy, and Oklahoma can’t run the football.”
It’s hard to argue with the numbers, and Rodgers is also dead on with his assessment of the Sooners’ offense revolving around Mateer and his ability to use his legs alongside his arm to move the sticks.
For as bad as they looked last weekend against Florida, the Longhorns still have a very stout defense, and that could spell disaster for Oklahoma if Mateer isn’t able to be the game changer under center he normally is.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
