Oklahoma QB John Mateer Ready for Another Shot at Texas After 2025 Disappointment

NORMAN — Looking back at it nearly 10 months later, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer wouldn’t change hurrying back from a broken hand to start in the Red River Rivalry.

But Mateer craves a different result this time when the Sooners take on Texas on Oct. 11 in the Cotton Bowl.

OU fell to the Longhorns 23-6 in last season’s edition of the historical rivalry, with Mateer going 20 of 38 through the air for 202 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns and rushing for just five yards on 14 carries just more than two weeks after undergoing surgery.

“Looking forward to another opportunity,” Mateer said recently at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla. “I’m not gonna sit here and make an excuse. We lost and I lost.”

Mateer said he wanted to get back even quicker, even though he was a different player after returning from the surgery than he was before the injury.

“I wanted to play,” Mateer said. “I asked them to play Kent State (on Oct. 4), and they were like. ‘There’s no shot.’ But I was throwing during the weeks.”

Mateer is from Little Elm, Texas. The stadium where he starred in high school is less than 40 miles from the Cotton Bowl.

Mateer had seen what Jared Goff and Drew Brees had done with quick returns from similar surgeries and hoped to recreate their successes.

In his mind, pushing to return for the Texas game was a “no brainer.”

“Dr. (Steven) Shinn, shout out, he told me it was the plan,” Mateer said. “He said, ‘It’s not going to be easy, but you’re the guy for it. And I appreciate him. … But I wanted to play.”

Even with Mateer’s limitations post-surgery, the Sooners were able to go on a November run to make the College Football Playoff.

The Red River game is important every year, but with the front-loaded nature of this year’s schedule, it could prove to be even more integral to Oklahoma’s playoff hopes.

The Sooners’ first five games include games at Michigan and Georgia as well as the showdown with the Longhorns.

Should OU drop either of those two early road games, the Red River Rivalry would be a virtual must-win for the Sooners to keep their CFP hopes alive.

Mateer figures to need to be significantly better against Texas for the Sooners to win.

The last OU quarterback to start against the Longhorns and lead the Sooners to victory with more interceptions than touchdowns was way back in 2004 when Jason White had two interceptions and no touchdowns in the Sooners’ 12-0 win.

Spencer Rattler threw one interception with no touchdowns in his 2021 start, but was replaced by Caleb Williams, who led the comeback with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The only OU starter to throw multiple interceptions against Texas in a Sooners win since White’s performance more than 20 years ago was Baker Mayfield’s three-touchdown, two-interception performance in 2016 when he had 390 yards on 22-of-31 passing in a 45-40 OU victory.

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