John Mateer said that his thumb is recovering well after injuring it against Auburn on Sept. 20.
The redshirt junior quarterback averaged 303.75 passing yards through four games before being sidelined against Kent State on Oct. 4. Mateer has recorded 202 passing yards against Texas and 150 versus South Carolina since returning from injury.
Mateer has been in frequent contact with Dr. Shin, who performed the quarterback’s surgery, and feels confident about the recovery process.
“It’s healing,” Mateer said. “I’m updating Dr. Shin all the time. He’s staying in contact. It’s healing well and just eating right and doing all the recovery stuff that you got to do.”
Mateer used a KT wrap following the surgery. KT Tape, a sports recovery company, provides therapeutic tape for pain relief and support.
“I wanted a KT tape,” Mateer said. “I honestly like the black tape. I think it looks cool. There’s also a benefit to it. … I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t thick, so it didn’t keep my thumb off the ball.”
While recovering, Mateer threw three interceptions against Texas and recorded zero touchdowns. It marked Mateer’s first game without a touchdown since he played Fresno State on Oct. 12, 2024, as Washington State’s quarterback.
However, Mateer and the Sooners bounced back with three touchdowns in a 26-7 win against South Carolina.
“It’s huge … to know within the building, within the offense, that we could do it,” Mateer said. “We didn’t lose all confidence. But we got punched in the face; I got punched. And that’s the game of football, but you keep working. And you don’t flinch.”
The Sooners also found success in the run game in the South Carolina win, a vital element to the offense with Mateer progressing from injury. They recorded 171 rushing yards — including freshman running back Tory Blaylock’s 101 — after 48 against Texas and a 122.3 average going into the South Carolina game.
The offensive line served as a huge factor in the ground success as the protective layer of the offense.
“I’m really proud of them,” Mateer said. “That’s a group that works super hard and meets all the time. … (I’m) really happy for them to see the work and the fruition.”
Mateer faces No. 8 Mississippi next before playing four more AP Top 25 opponents to close out the regular season. With the gauntlet ahead, Mateer told the team to stay true to themselves.
“We don’t have to be anything that we’re not,” Mateer said. “I don’t have to do too much. … Nobody has to do anything that (they’re) not capable of. I think that’s a super important thing.”
