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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, a Heisman Trophy favorite, needs surgery on his right throwing hand – a huge blow to the Sooners’ offense.
However, Mateer is expected to return “this season” for the Sooners, though they will need to stay afloat until then.
Head coach Brent Venables announced the Mateer news on Tuesday, a surprising situation following Oklahoma’s 24-17 win over Auburn.
The Sooners are 4-0 to start the season.
“After consulting with medical experts, it became clear that surgery is the best option for John and his short- and long-term future,” Venables said in a statement. “He’s extremely disappointed he will miss some game action but is eager to correct the issue and move forward.
“As he is with everything, we know he will be aggressive with his rehabilitation and work to return to the field as quickly as possible.”
Mateer is reportedly dealing with a broken bone in his right hand, per ESPN, though it’s unknown how the injury occurred. He is expected to miss around a month for the Sooners.
Oklahoma said that Mateer suffered the injury during the first quarter of the win over Auburn, though he continued to play. He went 24-of-36 through the air for 271 yards with a touchdown pass. He also scored on a rush attempt.
While the Sooners don’t play this upcoming Saturday as they’re on a bye week, Michael Hawkins Jr., Mateer’s sophomore backup, is expected to start against Kent State on Oct. 4.
Mateer will also be missing the highly anticipated Red River rivalry game against Texas on Oct. 11.
Of course, losing a potential Heisman finalist is hard to overcome, but Oklahoma must have Hawkins step up with SEC standings and College Football Playoff implications at stake.
After the Texas game, Oklahoma will face South Carolina and a gauntlet of ranked teams including Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU.
Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma after three seasons at Washington State, leads the SEC in passing yards (1,215), and completions (95) over four games.
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