The Latest John Mateer News Should Make Texas Fans Extremely Nervous

The Texas Longhorns find themselves in a tough spot right now, as they're off to a miserable 3-2 start and have gone from the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Poll to out of the top 25 entirely in just over a month.

Unfortunately for them, it doesn't get any easier with the Red River Rivalry against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners next on the schedule. The Sooners boast one of the best defenses in the country, as they currently rank first in total yards allowed (193 per game) and second in points allowed (7.2 per game). For Arch Manning and the Longhorns' struggling offense, they might be walking into a nightmare matchup.

The one potential saving grace for Texas was that John Mateer, Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, seemed like he would miss the game after undergoing surgery on his throwing hand late last month. However, it seems that might not be the case any more.

Report: John Mateer Pushing to Return for Red River Rivalry

Sep 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) throws a pass against the Temple Owls in the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Mateer is aiming to return for Saturday's game against the Longhorns despite his timetable seemingly leaving him out well beyond this game. Thamel added that, "there’s a belief that his return is possible, as he’s reacted well to surgery."

"Mateer’s surgery on a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand took place nearly two weeks ago," Thamel wrote on social media. "Him playing against Texas would dovetail with the most optimistic return timelines, as he’d be 17 days out of surgery."

When asked who he expects to see at quarterback, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed that he will game plan for both Mateer and backup Michael Hawkins Jr.

"We'll plan for Mateer, you have to," Sarkisian told reporters Monday. "He's a dynamic player. He's the heartbeat of that offense, for sure. Everything goes through him. We played against Hawkins last year. He's a much-improved player. Like most young players, they get better over time. You can see his improvement for sure.

"But Coach (offensive coordinator Ben) Arbuckle has got a great scheme that we got to prepare for the scheme. He's a fantastic coach. They tax you a lot of different ways, varying tempos, formations, trick plays, quarterback runs, shot plays. And so we've got to prepare for the offense as much as we need to prepare for the quarterback, which one it's going to be. So it's more about the offense in our world."

Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State this offseason, enjoyed a hot start to the season, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 190 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. If he can play on Saturday, the Longhorns' defense will undoubtedly have its hands full.