Oklahoma pumping the brakes on a John Mateer return

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer was a Heisman Trophy hopeful before he went down with a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand.

He led the Sooners to a 4-0 record with wins over No. 15 Michigan and No. 22 Auburn, but suffered and played through the hand injury in that big win over the Tigers.

Mateer flew to Los Angeles a few days after the game to have surgery, and his recovery timeline was expected to be about a month. Now, nearly two weeks later, a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN is suggesting that Mateer is trying to get back in time for the Red River Rivalry game between No. 6 Oklahoma and Texas.

It's being said that Mateer has responded well to surgery, but head coach Brent Venables has not confirmed or denied that Mateer will be ready for Saturday. Venables did say that the quarterback is going through normal injury protocols, but his status is still up in the air.

"I don't know anything about the injury," Venables said. "When they tell me he's available, I'll let you know."

Oklahoma Sooners don't want to rush John Mateer back

While it may be an appealing idea to get Mateer back for such a big game, the Sooners must be cautious about rushing him back for this game against Texas.

It would be one thing if Texas was a legitimate College Football Playoff contender like many thought it would be this season. The Longhorns are coming off a 29-21 loss to a bad Florida team, though, and at 3-2, their only wins have come against unranked, non-Power Four programs.

Additionally, Arch Manning, who was considered a Heisman Trophy contender in the preseason, appears to be a broken quarterback.

Oklahoma can win this game with Michael Hawkins Jr. at quarterback. If Mateer can go, then so be it. Throw him out there. If there's any indication that he's not back at 100 percent, though, the Sooners have an obligation to protect their quarterback despite the short-term gain.

They seem to understand that as well.

“Of course he’s going to try to get ready as quickly as he can…But you don’t want to put him in a compromising position, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said.