As what seems to be a moment-by-moment case leading up to the Red River Rivalry this week, there was a new update on injured Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer with still no real answers.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Thursday evening that Mateer "is in line to play" against unranked Texas at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Dallas, but "there's no certainty he'll be able to go." That would coincide with Mateer's questionable status on the initial SEC Availability Report on Wednesday night, which means there was a 50% chance that Mateer would play at that point. A new report will be released at 7:10 p.m. CT Thursday.
However, Thamel did at least reveal what could be the deciding factors if Mateer plays or not.
John Mateer injury update
Thamel reported that Mateer playing could come down to the pain level and his ability to grip the ball after breaking a bone in his right hand. However, pain likely won't keep Mateer off the field considering he injured his throwing hand in the first quarter against Auburn, but still finished the game and scored the game-winning touchdown.
Mateer's injury required surgery during the Sooners' bye week and he missed the Sooners' last game against Kent State. The Red River Rivalry will be 17 days since Mateer underwent surgery, which would defy the odds of the expected recovery time.
According to Thamel, Mateer has practiced some this week, but OU head coach Brent Venables said Tuesday during his weekly press conference that Mateer hadn't participated in any "good-on-good work," which Venables said would be necessary for Mateer to play on Saturday. However, Venables has been extremely tight-lipped about Mateer's status ahead of the Red River Rivalry.
Based on Thamel's report, it seems like Mateer could end up being a gametime decision on Saturday.