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ESPN Analyst Had Harsh Take on Strategy to Stop Oklahoma QB John Mateer

Booger McFarland said what the Texas defense was probably already thinking heading into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game.
Tyler Lauletta|
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer is just a few weeks removed from surgery on his throwing wrist.
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer is just a few weeks removed from surgery on his throwing wrist. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is back on the field today just a little more than two weeks after having surgery on his throwing hand.

It’s understandable that Mateer would be eager to get back onto the field this week, as the Sooners are taking on Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry game, but his quick return also means he has a clear target for the Longhorns defense painted right on him.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said what the Texas defense was already thinking just a few minutes before kickoff from the Cotton Bowl. “That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on,” McFarland said as the broadcast went to commercial.

While it could be seen as a bit gauche for McFarland to lay things out so plainly, he’s not exactly wrong that the Texas defense would be looking for any and every edge to slow down Mateer and the Oklahoma offense.

Fans were split on McFarland’s maybe-a-bit-too-honest analysis.

As it turns out, Mateer’s hand would become a factor before the game was over. Just before halftime, the broadcast reported that Mateer was bleeding a bit around his thumb wrap after it was struck by a helmet. Despite the setback, Mateer did not miss a snap.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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