John Mateer season could be over due to hand injury

John Mateer season could be over due to hand injury originally appeared on The Sporting News

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Veables announced Tuesday afternoon that quarterback John Mateer will undergo hand surgery, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Brent Venables on John Mateer's hand surgery: "After consulting with medical experts, it became clear that surgery is the best option for John and his short- and long-term future."

Mateer suffered his injury during the Sooners' victory against Auburn on Saturday. The good news is that Mateer is expected to return at some point during the season.

In the meantime, sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins will take Mateer’s place and will start against Kent State in two weeks.

"We have all the confidence in the world in Michael and are excited for his opportunity to lead our offense while John recovers," said Venables. "He had some big moments for us last season as a true freshman and has just gotten better and better. I'm proud of the work Michael's put in and the progress he's made, and know he will attack this opportunity to help lead our football team."

Mateer was the Heisman favorite, but now his future, as well as the future of the Sooners' football team, is up in the air. 

So far this season, Mateer has thrown for over 1200 yards and six touchdowns, and was leading the pack for Heisman hopefuls, but with the uncertainty about his future, that is all but gone.

Depending on the severity of the injury, Mateer could be out for several months. If he is having surgery on his hand, it doesn’t sound like he will be making a return anytime soon. 

Now, the Sooners have to depend on a quarterback who has little experience to carry him these next few weeks with their season clearly on the line.