John Mateer miraculously recovered from surgery in time for Texas. Did him playing cost Oklahoma its season?
The Sooners star QB returned 17 days after surgery but after Saturday's loss, the outlook is bleak

DALLAS -- Casey Thompson has the unique perspective of playing for both Texas and Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry during his six-year career. He tied the all-time record with five passing touchdowns in the game, though the Longhorns fell short after a miraculous comeback from Caleb Williams in 2021.
It was on a touchdown pass during the rivalry game that Thompson's thumb hit an opposing helmet, causing significant ligament damage. He played through it for six weeks, and it continuously got worse. When he transferred to Nebraska, his brother -- former OU receiver Kendal Thompson -- recommended he get a second opinion.
"It was actually one of the greatest decisions of my life to see Dr. Shin," Thompson told CBS Sports. "When I first saw the news that John (Mateer) was going to have surgery from him, I was really excited because I knew that was the best guy he could go to."
Dr. Steven Shin has never played a down of football. According to a Wall Street Journal profile in 2020, he barely even pays attention to sports, unless one of his former patients is playing. With a patient list that includes Drew Brees, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant, that's a wide group. Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams was also a patient, and sang Shin's praises.
However, Shin became an overnight sports celebrity in the state of Oklahoma when it was revealed that he would be performing hand surgery on Sooners quarterback John Mateer. The initial timeline put out by Oklahoma indicated that recovery could take a month. But with Dr. Shin's magical touch? There was belief he could return for the Texas game, only 17 days after surgery, a radical timeline after surgery on a throwing hand.
Fans made memes and edits featuring Shin holding a championship trophy, leading the Sooners out onto the field and wearing the golden hat handed out to the winner of the Red River Rivalry. The Oklahoma attorney general -- an actual elected official in the state -- gave a formal statement of commendation to Shin. Even Mateer and his coaches got in on the fun, throwing little nods to him on social media.
Dr. Steven Shin is obviously a world-class surgeon, but I wonder if he’ll ever truly understand the impact he had on the MENTAL HEALTH of Oklahoma fans around the globe these last couple of days.#ShinSanity pic.twitter.com/N2mLqtKUHl
— Travis J Davidson (@TravisSkol) September 25, 2025
Doctors formally gave Mateer the all clear on Thursday. He miraculously took the field for Oklahoma's first snap on Saturday.
"Everybody's body heals and responds differently," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "There's a pain piece to it, ability to grip the bill, all the things you've got to do [as a quarterback]. It was no surprise whatsoever. You all know who John is."
But should Mateer have played? That question is a little more complicated.
Playing Superman
The Sooners invested heavily in Mateer over the offseason when he transferred from Washington State, making him one of the most highly-paid players in the country, according to 247Sports. Early on, the Little Elm, Texas, native has lived up to the hype. Heading into Week 7, Mateer ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense per game.
With Mateer taking the place of 2024 struggling starters Michael Hawkins Jr. and Jackson Arnold, the Sooners mustered enough offense to capture wins over No. 15 Michigan and No. 22 Auburn. The Sooners jumped all the way to No. 5 in the AP Top 25, their best mark since 2023. The rest of the offense still has many of the same problems as 2024, but Mateer papers over them.
At its core, the fandom that built around a Los Angeles-based surgeon is driven by that understanding: Oklahoma without a healthy Mateer is not a serious contender.
Physically, the legendary surgeon delivered. From the moment he came out for warmups, Mateer looked exceptional. He zipped the ball with ease, sporting only a small wrap on his thumb. On the first drive, Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna for a 23-yard pass and Deion Burks for an 18-yarder to set up a field goal.
There was never a moment where Mateer appeared to be lagging, or where the ball wobbled out of his hand. He never fumbled or lost the ball via loose grip. There was one play where a snap appeared to hit his hand a little awkwardly and popped up, but he quickly clutched it without issue. Mateer later said that he felt zero pain during the game, and that he was satisfied with his practice time in the lead up.
But after the first few drives, Mateer started making costly mistakes against one of the best defenses in college football. There was an interception to Malik Muhammad where Mateer simply failed to recognize zone coverage. He forced a throw to the end zone at the end of the half, resulting in a second interception to Muhammad instead of a field goal.
"I was ready to go physically, but mentally, I just didn't perform," Mateer said. "My eyes weren't as good as they needed to be. As a quarterback, if you don't play good football, then it's hard to win in this league."
To his credit, Texas also started causing major issues with its pass rush. All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons led an effort that sacked Mateer five times. Prior, the Sooners had allowed only eight sacks all season.
With Mateer just half a step behind his usual brilliance, Oklahoma revealed just how lost the rest of the offense remains. Mateer's number was called on 52 of the Sooners' 69 plays. On the 17 others, Oklahoma sputtered to only 41 yards. The program averaged 1.6 yards per carry and created few opportunities after the catch.
While the injury did not slow Mateer down, fatigue did seem to set in after not consistently throwing a football for two weeks. He finished the game hitting only seven of his final 18 pass attempts. The Sooners were never a serious threat to get into the end zone.
There was no Plan B on offense. It was Mateer or nothing.
"I'm glad the quarterback played," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "John Mateer is a heck of a player, but I didn't want to come up here and have to answer, well what if he would have played?"

Why OU had no choice
Mateer's decision to get his hand surgically repaired comes with short-term consequences, but the long-term benefits could be significant. The injury is fixed. He will improve over the course of the season instead of continuing to aggravate it.
The ex-QB Thompson, who suffered more complex ligament damage, was initially advised to rehab the injury. However, surgery was framed as a more complete solution.
"It felt better right after the surgery and then every week following," Thompson said. "I knew that it was the right decision."
Shin did impeccable work, as always. But though Thompson's hand was structurally ready to go quickly, there are still plenty of complications that come with hand surgery. There were periods of numbness, which are normal. Thompson did not get his stitches out for 14 days.

Mateer declined to get into the details of the sensations in his hand during the game, only confirming that he was pain free. But with such a short timeline, there's an understanding that there will be a few adjustments, even in simply returning to repeated activity. The hand is a wildly complex system.
There's a case that Mateer should have just sat out and waited a little longer to get fully back to normal. The Sooners could simply write off a loss to Texas as being with the backup quarterback. The College Football Playoff committee would take that under consideration. As long as the Sooners split the Texas and South Carolina games, there would be plenty left to play for in the final weeks.
That said, Oklahoma travels to face the Gamecocks on Saturday. Afterwards, the Sooners have five straight games against AP top 16 opponents to close the year. Both of Oklahoma's ranked victories came against teams no longer in the top 25.
To stay alive in the national and SEC title conversations, there was no quality loss that would satiate matters. Oklahoma had to beat Texas. And with the high-pressure money involved in this era, Oklahoma cannot afford to have its biggest investment -- in the literal monetary sense -- sitting on the bench.
The Sooners came into the Red River Rivalry ranked No. 6 in the nation. After the 23-6 loss, they dropped all the way to No. 14. According to FanDuel, Oklahoma is now only 19-to-1 to win the SEC, compared to 7.5-to-1 for Texas. The Sooners had a chance to put a final nail in the Longhorns; instead, they gave them new life.
"How you respond is the mark of a true competitor," Venables said. "I think you really find out about people when things aren't going well. And I've got incredible faith and belief and confidence in every one of those guys. We know who these guys are and we know they'll respond the right way."
In just 17 days, Dr. Shin and Mateer delivered a miracle of modern medicine. With all the flaws dragging down the rest of the roster, even that may not be enough.