John Mateer injury update: Brent Venables reveals when Oklahoma QB was cleared to play

Brent Venables revealed that QB John Mateer was cleared to compete against Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Thursday, two days before kickoff. That means the Oklahoma star was given the okay just 15 days following surgery on his hand.

However, the Sooners head coach revealed that Mateer was hoping for an ever earlier return. That didn’t turn out to be the case, but proved to Venables the type of leader Mateer has become.

“He epitomizes the guts and the toughness. Loves to compete,” Venables said postgame. “He loves his teammates. A week ago playing Kent State, he wanted to put the pads on. He didn’t want to be in the shorts, the hat, the sunglasses, jewelry and everything else. He wanted to be with his teammates in pregame. He wanted to be every part of game day. He’s incredible. He went through all the protocols and all those kinds of things.

“Everybody’s body heals and responds differently and their ability to – there’s a pain piece to it and ability to grip the ball and the fundamental things you need to throw the football and hand it off and all those type of things. No surprise, whatsoever, who John is.”

Mateer, who injured his throwing hand against Auburn late last month, wore a sort of brace against the Longhorns. It wasn’t bulky, so it didn’t appear to hinder his ability to throw the football.

He would go on to throw three interceptions in what turned out to be a 23-6 loss for the Sooners. Mateer finished the game completing 20 of his 38 passing attempts for 202 yards. Oklahoma did not score a touchdown against their bitter rival.

Whether he was 100% heading into the matchup is up for debate. Though, doctors felt he had progressed enough to clear him.

Looking ahead, the Sooners won’t have it easy. They’ll travel to South Carolina next weekend, but that’s the last unranked team Oklahoma will play for the rest of the regular season. In fact, their last five opponents are all currently ranked in the top-14 in the Week 7 AP Top 25 poll. That gauntlet features No. 4 Ole Miss (home), No. 12 Tennessee (away), No. 8 Alabama (away), No. 14 Missouri (home) and No. 11 LSU (home).

At 5-1, there’s no need to panic for OU after the Texas loss. However, the Sooners will need to make sure Mateer is 100% heading into the second half of the regular season.