John Mateer injury: Jordan Rodgers speculates 'smoke and mirrors' about Oklahoma QB's status vs. Texas

As the Red River Rivalry quickly approaches, John Mateer’s health remains the biggest storyline. The Oklahoma quarterback is hoping to give it a go in the showdown against Texas just weeks after hand surgery, and he moved up to probable on Thursday’s availability report.

But ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers wondered if there was more to the story. Speaking on The Paul Finebaum Show, he speculated about “smoke and mirrors” with regard to Mateer’s status.

Mateer underwent hand surgery Sept. 25, two days after Oklahoma announced he suffered an injury against Auburn. The timeline put his status for the Red River Shootout into question, but it seems like he’s going to try to play. Given how important Mateer is to OU’s plan, Rodgers said the program faces a game-changing decision.

“Look, I have zero insight. I’m not saying I have talked to anybody that’s given me information. I think there’s a little smoke and mirrors going on with the status of John Mateer,” Rodgers said. “I sure hope he plays because I think he’s the best quarterback hands down, when he’s healthy, in the entire country. And even more for Oklahoma, if he plays, I think they win. If he doesn’t play, I think they lose. That’s how important he is because without him, Oklahoma can’t run the football. They ran the football for 32 yards against Auburn. Mateer had 29 of those.

“So if he’s not in the lineup, you have a young, talented quarterback that’s unproven in a big spot and you can’t run the football, and you haven’t protected very well. That’s a recipe for disaster. I hope he plays. I think his status and his health is the biggest swing aspect of this entire matchup.”

On3’s Chris Low, Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos have more details on where Mateer stands ahead of Saturday’s rivalry game. He was the Heisman Trophy favorite at the time of his injury, completing 67.4% of his passes for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns through four games. He also added 190 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Mateer started the week as questionable on the initial SEC availability report ahead of Oklahoma vs. Texas and moved to probable on Thursday. As a result, Friday’s availability report will be crucial to see how he’s progressing ahead of Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.