Oklahoma and Texas are three quarters through this season's edition of the storied Red River Rivalry, and the once-unstoppable Sooner offense seems to be, well, stopped up to this point, only posting six points on the scoreboard with less than 15 minutes left to go.
With a halftime lead of 6 to 3, plenty of concern was circulating through the air between two fiercely competitive fanbases. For Texas, offensive concerns had plagued the team since their week one loss to Ohio State. Arch Manning, a Heisman hopeful in the preseason, has struggled to meet the impossibly high bar set for himself, so a weak output against one of the nation's best teams -- undefeated Oklahoma -- though disappointing, isn't entirely unexpected.
But the real story here is John Mateer. The Sooners' quarterback had been one of the best signal callers in the entire nation to this point in the year. Prior to this meeting, the quarterback had thrown for 1,200 yards and six scores in four appearances. The key stat? Not a single interception thrown.
Well that's all changed against Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns.
Mateer has thrown three interceptions to this point in the battle. Completely uncharacteristically, Mateer has been at the mercy of his opposition, not the other way around. But what's the cause? What's happened to the Sooners' previously unshakeable gunslinger?
John Mateer is back from hand surgery this week, his first appearance since going under the knife for an injured thumb. Per the Oklahoman, "Mateer, who was listed as probable Friday and Thursday and questionable on Wednesday, is recovering from surgery on a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand that took place 17 days ago."
It's clearly coming back to bite him in the biggest game of his team's season. Zero touchdowns through three quarters won't get the job done against one of the most talented rosters in the nation -- and that's exactly what Texas has, despite their absence from the current AP Poll.
Oklahoma's quarterback is clearly still recovering from his injury, and stands in jeopardy against the bouncing-back Texas Longhorns.
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