QB John Mateer could miss No. 6 Oklahoma's rivalry game vs. Texas with injury

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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer might not be healthy in time for Saturday's rivalry game against Texas in Dallas.

Mateer suffered an injury to his right hand — his throwing hand — during Oklahoma's 24-17 win over Auburn on Sept. 20. He played three quarters with the injury and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run while hurt.

He had surgery during Oklahoma's bye week, then sat out last week's 44-0 win over Kent State.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Mateer, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation before the injury, has not practiced against the Sooners' first-string defense since the injury. Michael Hawkins Jr. and Whitt Newbauer are getting practice reps against the defensive starters for the sixth-ranked Sooners (5-0, 1-0 SEC).

Venables said he’s depending on the doctors to let him know what to do.

“John is doing no good-on-good work," Venables said. “So it’s Michael and Whitt right now. If something changes, I’ll let you know. But I think if you’re going to play, you’ve got to do good on good, right?”

There's still time before Saturday's game, and plenty can change. And if Mateer is available, it makes sense to play him. The transfer from Washington State has passed for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 190 yards and five scores in four games.

“We’ll plan for Mateer," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “You have to. He’s a dynamic player. He’s the heartbeat of that offense for sure. Everything goes through him."

If it's not Mateer, Hawkins will start. Hawkins started in last year's loss to Texas and struggled in the 34-3 romp.

Sarkisian said Hawkins is no longer that true freshman who was overwhelmed at the Cotton Bowl last year. Hawkins threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score against Kent State. Texas (3-2, 0-1) expects a more mature version this time around if he plays.

“He’s a much improved player,” Sarkisian said. “Like most young players, they get better over time. You can see his improvement for sure.”

Sarkisian is most concerned about Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. He has brought life to the offense in his first year since leaving the same position at Washington State.

“Coach Arbuckle has got a great scheme,” Sarkisian said. "We’ve got to prepare for the scheme. He’s a fantastic coach. They tax you a lot of different ways. Varying tempos, formations, trick plays, quarterback runs, shock plays. So we’ve got to prepare for the offense as much as we need to prepare for the quarterback.”

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