One of the biggest games on the Week 7 slate in college football pits two rivals against each other. Oklahoma football and Texas football will square off in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, with very different but equally important implications for both sides.
The biggest story coming into this game has been off the field. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, one of the current favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, underwent hand surgery following the Sooners' win over Auburn on Sept. 20 and missed last week's game against Kent State.
On Thursday, Oklahoma got some good news on its quarterback. Mateer is likely to attempt to play on Saturday, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
“Sources: Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is in line to attempt to play against Texas on Saturday,” Thamel reported on X, formerly Twitter. “His injured right hand will be monitored, and there’s no certainty he’ll be able to go. He’s listed as questionable.”
Later on Thursday evening, Mateer was officially upgraded from questionable to probable on the SEC Availability Report, according to Thamel.
If Mateer is able to go, it certainly changes the calculus for both the Oklahoma offense and the Texas defense. However, his injured throwing hand will be something to monitor early on in the OU passing game if No. 10 takes the field.
So far this season, Mateer has completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns. He also leads the Sooners in rushing scores with five despite missing a game, proving that he is the engine that makes this unit go.
Fortunately for the Sooners, they have built themselves some wiggle room in the game with impressive wins at the start of the season against both Michigan and Auburn. Brent Venables' club is currently 5-0 and ranked No. 6 in the AP poll, so a loss against Texas while sorting through Mateer's injury wouldn't be the end of the road for it. However, Oklahoma won't want to hear any of that coming into a game against its hated rival.
On the other side, Texas absolutely needs to find a way to get a win on Saturday no matter who is at quarterback for the Crimson and Cream. The Longhorns have already taken two losses this season, against Ohio State and Florida, and likely cannot afford any more slip-ups if they want to stay in the hunt for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff.
