Mateer had surgery on the throwing hand during Oklahoma’s off week, then sat out the win over Kent State. He returned for the showdown against Texas on Oct. 11, but he had the worst game of his career and threw three interceptions in a loss. He limited mistakes in a win against South Carolina last week as the running game carried the load.

John Mateer says his throwing is the same since returning from thumb surgery, but the results say something's off with the Sooners' quarterback

It was another disappointing day for the Oklahoma Sooners in a high-profile matchup. This time against a top-10 team in their 34-26 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. The Sooners fought their way back for a third-quarter lead but squandered opportunities in the fourth quarter to get a big win.

The Sooners also found success in the run game in the South Carolina win, a vital element to the offense with Mateer progressing from injury. They recorded 171 rushing yards — including freshman running back Tory Blaylock’s 101 — after 48 against Texas and a 122.3 average going into the South Carolina game .

John Mateer and the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners are 6-1 through seven games this season. Their only loss came to the Texas Longhorns in Week 7. They will now face the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels in Week 9.

The Sooners added a running game to their arsenal last week, but can they produce explosives to match potential Ole Miss scoring?

As he answered questions with poise, fresh off a rebound win over South Carolina, he fidgeted with the KT tape coiled around his surgically repaired throwing hand. It took a reengineered version to get the wrap to his liking, but it hasn’t hindered his ability to throw a football.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is working to recover from a tough game against Texas. He completed just over 50% of his passes, threw three interceptions, and the Sooners lost 23-6 last Saturday.

For the second time since John Mateer returned from thumb surgery, Oklahoma suffered a loss. He had an up-and-down day on Saturday in the Sooners’ home loss to Ole Miss, and head coach Brent Venables admitted he’s not sure how the injury is impacting his quarterback’s performance.