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Texas is preparing for John Mateer regardless of what Brent Venables says

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook10/07/25josephcook89
John Mateer, Michael Hawkins, Oklahoma
© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The question that has captivated both sides of the Red River over the past weeks, days, and even hours is, will Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer play against the Texas Longhorns?

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There’s little revelatory information coming from the Oklahoma side. Sooners head coach Brent Venables said Tuesday during his press conference that Mateer is going through his normal protocol, but added an important qualifier.

“He’s done zero good on good work,” Venables said.

While he was listening to another question about Mateer, he interrupted by saying “John is doing no good on good work. It’s Michael (Hawkins) and Whitt (Newbauer)… I think if you’re going to play, you’re going to do good on good, right? Throw some skelly, hand the ball off, play on third downs.”

Sounds doubtful, right? Well.

Adding to the murkiness surrounding Mateer’s status was the fact that OU took practice indoors yesterday. Venables claimed it was because it was 90 degrees in Norman, but that’s a hard rationale to accept considering the Sooners often practice outside at a facility that is at least observable to the general public. That accessibility is something that has revealed quarterback statuses in the Sooners’ not so distant past.

There’s more. Before Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle were available to the media, ESPN’s Pete Thamel put out this report.

Venables has not provided anything approaching a definitive answer about his quarterback’s status. But the lack of a definitive answer points toward Mateer being able to go at least in some capacity on Saturday when the Sooners battle the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl.

SoonerScoop provided more details on Mateer and his participation in recent practices on Monday. Mateer, who injured his throwing hand against Auburn, underwent surgery on his thumb after breaking it in the first quarter of OU’s win over the Tigers. A return for the Red River Shootout would be on the optimistic end of the recovery timeline.

With what Oklahoma is saying and doing, the Sooners appear on track to have their Heisman favorite quarterback available in Dallas in some capacity. His status will of course have to be monitored this week. The SEC Student-Athlete Availability report comes out Wednesday night, and it’d be a surprise if Mateer was anything other than questionable.

A gimme game against Kent State in the leadup to the Red River Shootout provided OU the chance to maximize recovery time for Mateer and prepare him for the game that’s circled on both team’s schedules every single year. That’s why Hawkins received the nod against the Golden Flashes.

If those pieces of evidence weren’t enough to point toward Mateer being able to at least play some football against the Longhorns, the line at BetMGM moved from Texas -2.5 to Oklahoma -1.5 not long after Thamel’s report hit the web.

So how does Texas prepare? Do they get ready for Mateer? For Hawkins?

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian gave an answer Monday that indicates they’re not paying all that much attention to the news from Norman, Las Vegas, or anywhere else.

“We’ll plan for Mateer,” Sarkisian said. “You have to. He’s a dynamic player, he’s the heartbeat of that offense for sure. Everything goes through him. We played against Hawkins last year. He’s a much improved player. Like most young players, they get better over time. You can see his improvement for sure. Coach Arbuckle’s got a great scheme. We’ve got to prepare for the scheme. He’s a fantastic coach. They tax you a lot of different ways”

This season, Mateer is 95-for-141 for the 5-0 Sooners. He’s passed for 1215 yards and has six touchdowns to three interceptions. He’s also the leading rusher for Oklahoma, with 190 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries.

Last week against Kent State, Hawkins was 14-for-24 for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 33 yards and a score. Against the Longhorns in 2024 in a game OU lost 34-3, Hawkins was 19-for-30 for 148 yards and rushed 20 times for 27 yards.

“We know they are two different types of players,” Anthony Hill said Monday. “We played Hawkins. We haven’t played Mateer. But we have the same scheme for both of them, so it’s going to be interesting to see what plays out throughout the week as we get ready for the game.”

Both players are capable runners and have carried the yoke for the Sooners offense this year. But Mateer is a more capable passer at this juncture. Plus, the Sooners wide receiver corps has maintained health in a way it could not last year. Isaiah Sategna, who grew up in Austin and is the son of former Texas track coach Mario Sategna, leads OU with 26 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Not too far behind him is Deion Burks, who has hauled in 25 passes for 275 yards and two scores.

Even so, considering the Oklahoma running back room has had its own fits and starts this year, Texas knows it will get a steady dose of the quarterback run game from whoever is playing.

“It’s a little more on our preparation knowing that it’s a plus-one in the run game,” Liona Lefau said.

More on the preparation doesn’t just come from the lack of clarity coming from north of the Red River. It comes from the expectation that Texas is going to see Mateer in some capacity.

That expectation is a safe bet. This is the Red River Shootout after all. Obfuscation is part of this rivalry. But when it comes to Oklahoma and Mateer, just about everyone appears to be seeing through it.

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