John Mateer and the Oklahoma Sooners are taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide tonight for a chance to play in the Rose Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP). The game kicks off the 2025 edition of the CFP, and on paper, it’s the closest affair in the first round of games.
The Sooners arrived on the CFP as the No. 8 team in the nation, following a 10-2 regular season, in which they looked like a top-five program during the first half of it. Similarly, quarterback John Mateer looked like a Heisman contender for the first half of the regular season, until an injury against Auburn forced him to undergo hand surgery.
For the remainder of the regular season, the signal-caller was forced to throw with a protective wrap on his throwing hand. It wasn’t until this week, in practice, that he was seen working out without it.
However, that doesn’t mean he’s completely out of the woods yet. According to head coach Brent Venables, John Mateer is still enduring some pain in his throwing hand.
“If you asked him, he still has some soreness, so he’s not pain-free,” Venables said Wednesday during his virtual availability. “From a stability standpoint, he’s better than he’s been and gripping the ball and things like that,” said Venables on Monday’s press conference.
John Mateer’s Numbers Against Alabama So Far
However, it doesn’t seem like the soreness and pain in his throwing hand are stopping John Mateer at all tonight. The signal-caller has been key to the Sooners’ success against Alabama, throwing for 132 yards, with one touchdown pass and a completion percentage of 66.6%. He’s also been Oklahoma’s top runner, with 26 yards and a rushing touchdown.
His mobility completely engineered the Sooners’ first score of the game, allowing him to move out of the pocket on two key occasions, including the touchdown. Oklahoma leads Alabama 17-7 halfway through the second quarter.
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