Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, one of the nation’s top players in the early weeks of the season, will have surgery to repair an injury to his throwing hand.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Tuesday that Mateer, a transfer from Washington State who has led the Sooners to wins over Top 25 teams Michigan and Auburn, will have surgery on his right hand on Wednesday.
Venables said Mateer is expected to return this season.
Mateer ranks second nationally with 351.3 yards of total offense per game. He
is a key reason the Sooners (4-0, 1-0 SEC) have risen to No. 7 in the AP Top 25.
“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 news release. “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 was injured in the first quarter of the 24-17 win over Auburn last Saturday. He played the entire game and passed for 271 yards and ran for 29, including the go-ahead 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
If there is such a thing as ideal timing, this would qualify. Oklahoma is on a bye week, then the Sooners play struggling Kent State on Oct. 4. Kent State (1-3) has losses of 62-14 to Texas Tech and 66-10 to Florida State this season.
Venables said Michael Hawkins Jr. will start against Kent State. Hawkins started four games last season. He led the Sooners to a win at Auburn and started in the Armed Forces Bowl, a 21-20 loss to Navy. He passed for 783 yards and ran for 204 last season.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Michael and are excited for his opportunity to lead our offense while John recovers,” Venables said. “He had some big moments for us last season as a true freshman and has just gotten better and better. I’m proud of the work Michael’s put in and the progress he’s made, and know he will attack this opportunity to help lead our football team.”
Oklahoma plays No. 10 Texas on Oct. 11 in Dallas.
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