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Oklahoma QB John Mateer 'Pushing to Return' for Texas, per Report

The Sooners' quarterback had surgery to fix a broken thumb less than two weeks ago, but ESPN's Pete Thamel reported "there'a a belief" that he could play against the Longhorns.
John Hoover|
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | NATE BILLINGS/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He does just about everything else at a quick pace. Maybe John Mateer is just a fast healer.

Oklahoma might get its starting quarterback back for this week’s rivalry game against Texas just 2 1/2 weeks after surgery to repair a broken thumb.

That’s according to report from ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel.

Citing unnamed sources, Thamel posted on X/Twitter Tuesday morning that OU was hopeful Mateer could line up and play against the Longhorns.

“Oklahoma QB John Mateer is pushing to return this week for the game against Texas,” Thamel wrote. “There’s a belief that his return is possible, as he’s reacted well to surgery.”

If Mateer can’t go, sophomore Michael Hawkins will make his second start in a row in the Red River Rivalry. 

Hawkins last year became the first OU true freshman to ever start at quarterback against the Longhorns. He completed 19-of-30 passes for 148 yards and added 27 yards rushing, but he and the Sooners absorbed a 34-3 loss.

Read More OU-Texas Coverage

How to Watch No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas
Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables on QB John Mateer vs. Texas: 'I Don't Know'

Why Oklahoma DB Eli Bowen Feels Comfortable Ahead of the Red River Rivalry
Whether Its Mateer or Hawkins, Oklahoma Has 'Confidence' in Red River QB Play
Oklahoma Finally Unwrapped RB Jaydn Ott Ahead of Clash With Texas
Oklahoma WR Javonnie Gibson Bounced Back From 'Heartbreaking' Injury to Battle Texas
The Sooners’ Texas Game Plan: Don’t Let ‘Oklahoma Beat Oklahoma’
Oklahoma Has Texas Preparing for Every Possibility at Quarterback
Large Group of Oklahoma Players Poised to Make Their Red River Debuts Saturday An Unlikely Weapon is Emerging for Oklahoma Ahead of the Red River Rivalry


How Oklahoma QB John Mateer is Seeing His Teammates Through 'a Different Lens'

Mateer broke a bone in the lower part of his thumb in the Sooners’ victory over Auburn on Sept. 20. He didn’t come out of the game and completed 16 of his final 17 throws to lead the Sooners to a dramatic 24-17 victory.

Mateer flew to California for surgery on the thumb and returned home Sept. 24. 

After an open date, Hawkins got the start last week against Kent State and helped guide the Sooners to a 44-0 victory.

During that game, Mateer was in full uniform and wearing a black brace on his right wrist and thumb, but he didn’t see any game action.

Monday night on his weekly coach’s show, OU head coach Brent Venables said he didn’t have much to say about Mateer’s availability this week.

“I don’t know when John Mateer will be back,” Venables said. “Really not even anything to talk about. He’s on a progression through however it long takes those injuries to heal.”

The Sooners and Longhorns kick off at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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