Oklahoma QB John Mateer progressing from hand injury, not fully practicing ahead of Texas

Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer is progressing in his recovery from hand surgery last month but is not yet a full participant in practice, coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday.

Mateer, who underwent surgery on his throwing hand days after Oklahoma’s Sept. 20 win over Auburn, missed the Sooners’ 44-0 win over Kent State on Saturday. An OU source told The Athletic last month that the initial hope was Mateer would return in time for Oklahoma’s road trip to South Carolina on Oct. 18. Reports by ESPN and CBS Sports on Tuesday, citing sources, said Mateer is pushing to return for Saturday’s rivalry game against Texas.

Venables, when asked Tuesday about Mateer’s status during his weekly news conference, said the quarterback has done zero “good-on-good” work in practice this week.

“He’s doing his normal (recovery) protocol,” Venables said. “When (the doctors) tell me he’s available, I’ll let y’all know.”

Later, when a reporter suggested the quarterback situation may be up in the air between Mateer and Michael Hawkins Jr., who started in Mateer’s place on Saturday, Venables reiterated Mateer’s status and noted that Hawkins and sophomore Whitt Newbauer were splitting practice reps so far this week.

“John is doing no good-on-good work, so it’s Michael (Hawkins) and Whitt (Newbauer),” Venables said. “So, if something changes I’ll let you know. But I think if you’re gonna play, you gotta do good-on-good, right? Throw some (pass skeleton), hand the ball off, play on third downs.”

Mateer helped fuel the Sooners’ first four wins by throwing for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 190 yards and five more scores in September. Before his injury knocked him out of the lineup, he had emerged as the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who Mateer followed to Norman from Washington State after last season, said that Mateer would do everything he can to get ready as soon as he can but wouldn’t compromise his health.

“John’s a very process (oriented) guy. He’s going to follow the directions given by the doctor,” Arbuckle said Tuesday. “And if there’s any sort of gray area, he may lean toward more of the darker shade of the gray whenever it comes to the recovery process and that’s just because he’s a competitor. That’s just kind of how he’s wired.

“John knows his body. I think he understands ultimately what’s best for the team. But he doesn’t want to put himself in a compromising position, either. So, whenever he’s turning toward that darker shade of the gray, he always has his body in mind also. … And so of course he’s going to try to get his ready as quick as he can. But ultimately, I don’t think anybody wants to put him in a compromising position personally.”

The No. 6 Sooners (5-0) will face Arch Manning and the Longhorns (3-2) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.