Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is listed as probable for the Sooners’ rivalry game against Texas, according to the SEC availability report released Thursday evening.

Mateer, whom the Sooners listed as questionable Wednesday, is continuing to recover from having hand surgery after the team’s win over Auburn last month.

Earlier this week, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables was non-committal on Mateer’s status. Venables said during his Monday radio show and during his Tuesday news conference that he was unsure when Mateer would return. Venables noted Tuesday that Mateer was not yet a full participant in practice, but the coach was coy when asked about Mateer’s status Wednesday during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference.

Mateer missed the Sooners’ 44-0 win over Kent State last week. Last month, a team source told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman the initial hope was that Mateer would return in time for Oklahoma’s road trip to South Carolina on Oct. 18. But there has been heavy speculation recently that Mateer would push to return this weekend.

Before the Kent State game, Mateer dressed out for warmups with a brace on his right hand.

Here is #Sooners QB John Mateer, who is wearing a brace on his hand. pic.twitter.com/81KrtF07iR

— Brody Lusk (@BrodyLusk) October 4, 2025

Sophomore Michael Hawkins started in Mateer’s place against Kent State, with Whitt Newbauer backing him up. Hawkins threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 33 yards and a score.

When asked Thursday about the impact Mateer would have if he played, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the quarterback elevates the Sooners.

“He’s instilled a lot of belief in that organization when he takes the field … just his presence alone,” Sarkisian said. “On top of the skill set, his ability to run the ball, his competitive spirit, his ability to throw the ball out of the pocket, his comfort level with Coach Arbuckle from their time at Washington State, there’s added things to that … but one thing he does is instill belief for their team.”

Mateer helped fuel the Sooners’ first four wins by throwing for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 190 yards and five more scores in September. Before his injury knocked him out of the lineup, he had emerged as the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy.

The No. 6 Sooners (5-0) will face Arch Manning and the Longhorns (3-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

An elk was caught on camera exploring several neighborhoods in Altus, Oklahoma, this week.

In a video shared on the city’s Facebook page, the elk is seen hopping over fences in a few backyards while Altus police and animal control officers, as well as the Oklahoma game warden, worked to guide the elk safely toward open land.

When it became clear the elk wasn’t ready to leave, the team called the Oklahoma game warden to the scene and Animal Control Officer Nick West safely and humanely tranquilized the elk so it could be relocated.

“We want to thank everyone involved for their teamwork, patience, and quick response. Their efforts kept both the community and the elk safe,” the city’s post reads.

While elk may appear gentle or friendly, they’re still powerful animals, the city’s post notes.

“If you ever see one in town, the safest thing to do is admire from a distance and contact Animal Control. No selfies, no feeding, and no chasing,” the post says.

Are there any wild elk in Oklahoma?

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the largest free-ranging elk herds in the state can be found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, as well as at Pushmataha, Cookson Hills, Spavinaw, and Cherokee wildlife management areas. Small herds can also be found on private land in Kiowa, Comanche, and Caddo counties.

Are elk rare in the south?

Seeing an elk is still a rare sight in Oklahoma, but it’s not as rare as it once was.

Elk once roamed the Wichita Mountains before Oklahoma became a state, but the population was gone by 1875. In 1901, land was set aside, which became the refuge, and seven years later, elk were reintroduced to southwest Oklahoma.

Since then, herds have grown significantly. In 2012, ODWC conducted a helicopter survey and estimated 3,200 free-ranging elk statewide, The Oklahoman previously reported. By 2019, ODWC staff estimated Oklahoma’s statewide elk population had grown to more than 5,000.

WACO, Texas (KXXV) — To say the least, it has been a memorable four games for Baylor football so far this season.

A walk off field goal by Arizona State at McLane Stadium brings the Bears to 2-2 for the season and now they are heading to Stillwater looking to bounce back against Oklahoma State.

Watch the full story here:

Baylor looks to bounce back in road game against Oklahoma State

“Saturday’s game was a tough one,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “But, I think the message there is that hey, you can prepare, you can practice, you can do all of the things — that doesn’t mean you’re gonna win. There’s still more things that you gotta do.”

“There’s no participation trophy for preparing right and staying late and doing the extra all these details matter and so we’re really focused on that,” he added.

The Bears enter Stillwater following the firing of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy after 21 years on the job. While the Cowboys are reeling, the Bears understand that they still have a talented roster.

“They play hard, you know. They get after the ball, their record doesn’t reflect the kind of team they are. They got a lot of talent and they’re gonna be ready to play,” safety Devyn Bobby said.

“Same thing we always talk about — respect all, fear none. We take that into every week, you know they’re still a great program. They have great coaching staff, great athletes on the field, so we gotta be prepared and ready for them,” wide receiver Kobe Prentice said.

After the Arizona State game, head coach Aranda spoke about complimentary football. While the defense had a great game last week, the offense struggled — and they are looking to find that balance.

“Obviously we didn’t get the win, so we got to get better so you know a lot of people might say we had a great game but we didn’t get to win — we could have had more stops, had more turnovers, but you know we’re still having to attack everyday mindset and we’re trying to get better,” Bobby said.

“The higher level than all of that is the team is that you know if one side’s down the other side picks it up. We need to be able to have that, you know, when we’ve played at the level that we need to play, we play that way and so we’re going to continue to aim for it,” Aranda said.

Baylor vs Oklahoma State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. this Saturday.

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