Why Brent Venables has 'Faith' Oklahoma Can Rally After John Mateer's Injury

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is on the mend, but coach Brent Venables has full faith in Michael Hawkins Jr. and the rest of the team to pick up the slack. 

“I’ve got faith in our football team,” Venables said on Thursday. “I hate that for John, certainly, but it's been good. The spirit of the team, we've got a bunch of guys that are highly invested.”

Mateer injured the thumb on his throwing hand in the first quarter of Saturday’s 24-17 victory over Auburn. 

The OU quarterback underwent a successful surgery, but the timetable for his return is unclear. 

He will miss the No. 7-ranked Sooners’ next game against Kent State for sure, but if he misses any of OU’s contests beyond that, which include battles against No. 10 Texas, a road game against South Carolina and a home clash with No. 13 Mississippi, Venables backs his team to find ways to win. 

“Most teams are going to face some type of adversity, whether it's in a game or an injury to your roster, and you've got to move forward and you've got to get better from it,” Venables said. “And again, if we're who I believe we are, we'll continue to keep our heads down and work and get better. That's what I saw from the team here this week.”

Through four weeks, the Sooners have given their head coach plenty of reason to exude confidence. 

OU ranks fourth in total defense and eighth in scoring defense, and is fresh off a nine-sack performance against Auburn. 

Hawkins is an experienced backup, too. 

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He played in seven games last year, making four starts, so he knows what it takes to win in the SEC. 

Hawkins helped the Sooners win their first conference game in their new league, and he’s started a game against the Longhorns, so he’s not stepping into an unfamiliar spotlight. 

“He's done a great job just keeping his head down and improving,” Venables said. “Understanding of the offense and all of the fundamentals of being a quarterback, leadership as well. Just has put together a really good body of work over the last several months. He's always had a great work ethic. And he's always been really coachable and he's hungry, he's humble and ultra-talented.”

Losing Mateer, who was one of the early frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy, for any period of time is a tough blow to endure, but Venables believes every member of the team will have a part in the program’s successes and failures throughout October. 

“Guys have put a lot of work in. We've developed the team in all three phases,” Venables said. “… I like the chemistry of this football team. I like the cohesion of this football team and this is a group of guys that like to compete.”

Oklahoma will return to action on Oct. 4 to take on Kent State (3 p.m., SEC Network).

“These guys have the willingness to put the work in, to invest in the process and how you show up every single week and have a chance to win,” Venables said. “Those are all of the reasons and I've got great confidence in our staff as well. There's not any one position — if they're going to be successful at their position, they're not going to do it alone. It takes a lot of people and their teammates as well.”