Oklahoma reveals final status for John Mateer vs. Texas
By David Wasson
Published:
The Red River Rivalry got even spicier Saturday afternoon, as the final Oklahoma injury report prior to the game did not list quarterback John Mateer – meaning Mateer is good to go just 17 days after surgery to repair a broken bone in his right throwing hand.
Mateer underwent surgery to repair that hand Sept. 25 after injuring it during the Sooners’ 24-17 victory over Auburn on Sept. 20. No. 6 Oklahoma has only played once since then – a 44-0 victory over Kent State – heading into Saturday’s matchup against unranked Texas (3:30 pm ET, ABC). Sooners backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. passed for 3 touchdowns and ran for another against Kent State.
Mateer was moved from questionable to probable by Oklahoma in the Thursday injury report. At the time of his injury against Auburn, Mateer was a Heisman Trophy candidate – having completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,215 yards and 6 touchdowns through 4 games. He also added 190 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
Texas leads the Red River Rivalry series 64–51–5, including last season’s 34-3 victory at the Cotton Bowl.
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.
