BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Oklahoma suffered a big setback after John Mateer fell victim to a hand injury that will keep him sidelined until the end of October at the very earliest. He recently headed to Los Angeles to undergo surgery to expedite his recovery, and one fan made the trek to the hospital to give a gift to the doctor performing the procedure.
Brent Venables and Oklahoma got a rude welcome to the SEC last year after going 6-7 (and 2-6 in conference play), but the Sooners headed into the current campaign ranked at #18 before making their way to #7 after improving to 4-0 with a win over Auburn last weekend.
Oklahoma’s resurgence can be partially credited to the arrival of John Mateer, the quarterback who previously played at Washington State but decided to head to Norman as a redshirt junior while reuniting with former Cougars offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
He settled in nicely, as the 1,215 yards he passed for over the course of his first four games are good enough for the seventh-best in the country. Unfortunately, Oklahoma is going to have to wait a while to see him add to his total after he fractured a bone in his throwing hand during the first quarter of his team’s 24-17 win over Auburn.
Mateer managed to play the entire contest while contributing 271 yards and a touchdown in the air, but he will likely miss at least three or four games after undergoing surgery to address the issue—a procedure that made one Oklahoma fan go to some absurd lengths to send some good vibes his way.
An Oklahoma fan showed up at the hospital where John Mateer underwent surgery to give a gift to the doctor performing the procedure
Mateer may be able to benefit from the medical knowledge that will hopefully expedite his return, but there’s sadly no real cure for the sickness that is being a college football fan.
That disease can make people do some strange things, and we were treated to the most recent piece of evidence courtesy of Carson Grane, an Oklahoma grad who works as a producer in Los Angeles.
Grane learned Mateer had headed to the City of Angels for the surgery that was performed at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedic Center on Wednesday, and he subsequently decided to head to that building to give a gift to Dr. Steven Shin, the world-renowned hand surgeon who was probably surprised to learn someone had dropped off an Oklahoma pennant for him at his office.
Sooner Nation – Reporting live from Cedars Sinai Orthopedic Center #Sooners @GeorgeStoia @Eddie_Rado @JoeCJr29 @PlankShow @soonersonly @QB1TATT00 pic.twitter.com/T0waJKq1BR
— Carson Grane (@jcgrane) September 24, 2025
How can you not love college football?