John Mateer injury update: Ben Arbuckle wants QB to avoid 'compromising position' amid quick recovery

ESPN insider Pete Thamel gave Oklahoma fans a glimmer of hope on Tuesday when he revealed injured Sooners quarterback John Mateer “is pushing to return this week for the game against Texas.” Mateer missed last week’s 44-0 rout of Kent State after undergoing surgery on his injured throwing hand two weeks prior.

To quote retired ESPN College GameDay icon Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle appeared to throw some cold water on Thamel’s update when he suggested the Sooners coaching staff could still hold Mateer back to avoid putting the Heisman contender “in a compromising position” against the rival Longhorns.

“Of course he’s going to try to get ready as quickly as he can … but you don’t want to put him in a compromising position,” Arbuckle said Tuesday according to SoonerScoop’s George Stoia III.

Earlier on Tuesday, Thamel suggested “there’s a belief that (Mateer’s) return (this weekend vs. Texas) is possible, as he’d reacted well to surgery,” though made clear that was “the most optimistic” of possibilities for Mateer, who underwent hand surgery in Los Angeles on Sept. 24.

“Sources: Oklahoma QB John Mateer is pushing to return this week for the game against Texas,” Thamel wrote Tuesday morning on Twitter/X. “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. Him playing against Texas would dovetail with the most optimistic return timelines, as he’d be 17 days out of surgery.”

With Mateer out last Saturday, sophomore backup Michael Hawkins Jr. started at quarterback and tallied 195 total yards of offense and four combined touchdowns against Kent State. Of course, the rival Longhorns (3-2, 0-1 SEC) provide a much more challenging opponent, even coming off a disappointing 29-21 loss to unranked Florida last Saturday in Gainesville.

On Monday, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables further muddied the waters around Mateer’s potential return date by announcing “I don’t know when John Mateer will be back” on his weekly coach’s show.

Mateer put himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation after throwing for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions while adding five rushing scores and 190 yards on the ground through Oklahoma’s first four games this season prior to his injury setback.

Of course, while Mateer gives Oklahoma the best chance to win, Hawkins has the one thing the former Washington State transfer doesn’t — experience playing Texas in the Red River Showdown. Kickoff between the sixth-ranked Sooners and the newly-unranked Longhorns is set for 3:30 pm ET Saturday inside the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

“(Hawkins) has some experience playing in there last year. Really, my mindset is no different than it was going into today,” Venables said. “Again, we need to play well in the areas we are in control, taking care of the ball. Making layups when they’re there. Not trying to do too much. You look at some of our parts as a football team, to complement one or another. But I feel great about Mike.”

— On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.