Oklahoma's John Mateer to Start vs. Arch Manning, Texas in Red River Rivalry

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will start Saturday's Red River Rivalry clash against Arch Manning and Texas after recovering from hand surgery.

On Sept. 25, Mateer announced that he underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand.

After initially being listed as questionable for the clash with Texas, Mateer's status was upgraded to probable on Thursday. The quarterback had been "pushing" for a return against the Longhorns, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported.

He only missed one game since suffering the injury in the first quarter of the Sooners' 24-17 win over Auburn on Sept. 20. Thamel initially reported that Mateer was expected to be sidelined for roughly a month.

While Oklahoma was still able to secure a lopsided 44-0 win over Kent State in the first game that the junior quarterback missed, his presence will provide a boost heading into a Red River Rivalry matchup with Texas that'll carry huge implications for the SEC standings.

The Sooners have opened their 2025 campaign with a 5-0 record led by Mateer's hot start to the year.

Before the injury, he completed 67.4 percent of his throws for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns to go along with three interceptions. He also rushed for 190 yards and five scores.

While the Longhorns are coming off a loss to Florida, their defense has still been stout in 2025. They rank No. 2 in scoring defense among all SEC teams, giving up a mere 12.0 points per game.

Kickoff between the Longhorns and Sooners on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.