Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer announced on Thursday that surgery to address the broken bone in his right (throwing) hand was successful.
The Sooners announced on Tuesday that Mateer would need surgery after suffering an injury in the 24-17 win over Auburn last Saturday. However, the program did not announce a timeline for his return, stating instead that he is expected back “sometime this season” and is expected to miss “some game action.”
Mateer had surgery on Wednesday. Dr. Steven Shin, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California, performed the procedure.
Mateer was the Heisman Trophy favorite at the time his injury was announced. In leading the Sooners to a 4-0 record and a No. 7 ranking in the AP poll, Mateer had been spectacular to open the season. He ranked second in the country in total offense (351.3 yards per game) at the time of his injury, and had produced at least 1 rushing touchdown and 1 passing touchdown in 10 straight games dating back to last season.
Oklahoma is expected to turn to Michael Hawkins Jr. in Mateer’s absence. Hawkins started 4 games last season and finished the year with 783 passing yards, 204 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
As he is with everything, we know [Mateer] will be aggressive with his rehabilitation and work to return to the field as quickly as possible,” coach Brent Venables said in a release on Tuesday.
The Sooners are on a bye this week. They return to the field on Oct. 4 when they host Kent State. On Oct. 11, Oklahoma heads to Dallas to face Texas in the annual Red River Shootout. The Sooners face South Carolina in Columbia the following Saturday (Oct. 18).
OU faces Ole Miss on Oct. 25 in Norman and then faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 1. The Sooners have their second bye week of the season after the game against the Volunteers.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
