Steve Sarkisian discusses Texas’s preparation for Oklahoma amid John Mateer uncertainty
By Jacob Moss
Published:
One of the best rivalries in all of college football is the annual meeting between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, and the 2 bitter rivals are set to face off again this Saturday.
Among the storylines that will be feeding into the pivotal mid-season tilt is the injury status of star Sooners quarterback John Mateer, who has been dealing with a hand injury he suffered against Auburn.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian sat down on Monday to discuss the uncertainty surrounding Mateer and how his team is preparing for the game, with his status still up in the air.
“We’ll plan for Mateer. We have to,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a dynamic player. He’s the heartbeat of that offense. Everything goes through him.
“Coach Arbuckle has a great scheme that we’ve got to prepare for. He’s a fantastic coach. They tax you a lot of different ways with varying tempos, formations, trick plays, quarterback runs, shot plays. So we’ve got to prepare for the offense as much as we need to prepare for the quarterback, whichever one it’s going to be. It’s more about the offense in our world.”
It’s clear that Sark and his staff aren’t leaving anything up to chance when it comes to the Sooners’ dynamic offense, and they really can’t afford to either.
Given the current shape of things, the Longhorns more than likely can’t afford to lose another game if they want to make the College Football Playoff at season’s end.
Whether or not Mateer ends up starting this weekend will go a long way in deciding who comes out on top in the iconic Cotton Bowl, though, and that means Texas has to be prepared for all scenarios.
If Mateer doesn’t play, Oklahoma will start Michael Hawkins Jr. under center. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
