John Mateer injury updates
The biggest question leading up to Saturday's Red River Rivalry is if Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer will play after missing the No. 6 Sooners' last game because of a throwing hand injury that required surgery. So far, there's no real answer to that mystery.
During his coach's show on Monday night, OU head coach Brent Venables plainly stated, “I don’t know when John Mateer will be back," and he stuck by that statement during Tuesday's weekly press conference while shutting down multiple questions about Mateer's status.
“I’m just gonna cut you off,” Venables said in the midst of the second of four questions regarding Mateer. “I don’t know anything about the injury. When they (the training staff) tell me he’s available, I’ll let you all know.”
However, less than an hour before Venables' press conference on Tuesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Mateer “is pushing to return this week” and “there’s a belief that his return is possible.”
Mateer’s surgery on a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand took place nearly two weeks ago. Him playing against Texas would dovetail with the most optimistic return timelines, as he’d be 17 days out of surgery.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 7, 2025
On Wednesday evening, the first SEC Availability Report before the Red River Rivalry will be released, but don't hold your breath it will provide any answers yet.
Memorial Stadium changes
Venables said Tuesday that there are plans to add padding to the brick wall behind the end zone at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
"I think they're putting some padding," Venables said. "I don't know exactly when or how much and all that, but I think they're going to put some padding around that brick area where we're vulnerable."
The change was prompted after OU wide receiver Keontez Lewis crashed headfirst into the barrier while pursuing an overthrown pass on the second play of the game against Kent State on Saturday. Lewis was down for over 10 minutes before getting carted off the field, but Venables and OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have both confirmed that Lewis avoided a serious injury and was back at OU's facility the next day.
Keontez Lewis hit the brick wall. Hope he's ok. Looks like he may have gotten knocked out pic.twitter.com/g0nMH40hJC
— SOON till the BOOM (@SOON_ToThe_BOOM) October 4, 2025
Red River Rivalry odds shift
Shortly after the new update about John Mateer broke from ESPN's Pete Thamel, Vegas adjusted the line between the No. 6 Sooners and unranked Texas. Somehow, OU is the underdog despite being the undefeated top-10 team, but if Mateer is expected to play, Vegas could have the matchup close to even.
On Monday, DraftKings had its spread at 3 points, while FanDuel and BetMGM set theirs at 2.5 points in Texas' favor. As of Tuesday afternoon, after the report about Mateer, DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM all had the Sooners as 1.5-point underdogs, while some oddsmakers had it as close as a point.
Josh Pate later reported Tuesday that FanDuel's spread was based on Mateer playing. According to Pate, if Mateer plays, the spread will stay at 1.5 points, but if Mateer is officially ruled out, it could jump to 5.5 in Texas' favor.