Mateer Injures Hand, Eyes a Red River Comeback

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

In an absolutely heartbreaking event for Sooner fans, star QB John Mateer injured his hand in the first quarter vs Auburn and will require surgery and is expected to miss around a month, though some reports say he could be back by the Red River Rivalry game. Sophomore QB Michael Hawkins Jr will take over. What does this mean? Is the season over? Or will the Sooners be alright?

Obviously the fanbase is going to be crushed by this news. However, I think we should still be optimistic about the season. Yes, it’s nearly impossible for him to win the Heisman now, he would have to come back for Red River and then put up some great numbers. However, it’s not impossible for us to win the natty.

Mike Hawkins Jr may have played poorly last season, but in a new offense that is 100x better, I expect him to be great. He will lead us to a win over Kent State no problem, and I’m still confident we can beat Texas with him at QB. He has experience in that game, and our defense will dominate the Texas offense, which will give us a shot. If Mateer is still out the next week at South Carolina, that’ll be another winnable game for Hawkins and the Sooners. It’ll certainly be a let down spot, but the Gamecocks don’t look particularly good. No matter when we get Mateer back, I have complete faith in MHJ to keep our season alive, and win some ball games.

Best case scenario, John’s recovery goes absolutely perfect, and he is back for the Red River Rivalry, Mike Hawkins does great vs Kent State, and then, in a shocking turn of events, John Mateer is taking the first snaps at QB in Dallas. Him going out there and having a good game while leading us to victory would certainly put him right back in the Heisman conversation after that injury. The realistic scenario? Mateer misses Kent State and Texas, and come back for either South Carolina or Ole Miss. In this case, if we get out of there with 1 or 0 losses, I’ll be a happy man. A bright side to this case, if Mateer misses the Texas game, there’s a good chance he’ll want to return next season, because how can you be a great Sooner QB but never play in Red River?

This situation is extremely unfortunate, but great teams have to overcome adversity. I still believe we are right in the hunt for the National Championship, and Mike Hawkins will be spectacular, however many games he plays.

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