Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is pushing to return for Saturday's game against Texas, sources told ESPN.
There's a belief that Mateer's return less than three weeks after hand surgery is possible, according to sources, as he has reacted well to the operation. It's unclear when a decision on Mateer being available to play will be made, as Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has said publicly that it's uncertain when he will return.
Mateer is recovering from surgery on a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand that took place nearly two weeks ago. Mateer playing against Texas in Saturday's Allstate Red River Rivalry would dovetail with the most optimistic return timelines, as he would be 17 days out of surgery.
Venables said Tuesday that Mateer is going through "his normal protocol" but emphasized that the quarterback has "done zero good-on-good work."
"I don't know anything about the injury," Venables said. "When they tell me he's available, I'll let you know."
Mateer was injured in the first quarter of Oklahoma's 24-17 win over Auburn on Sept. 20. He played the rest of the game, and finished 24-of-36 for 271 yards.
Mateer had surgery on Sept. 24, as he flew to Los Angeles to get the surgery from noted hand/wrist surgeon Dr. Steven Shin. The timeline was expected to be in neighborhood of a month.
At the time of the injury, Mateer had established himself as the favorite for the Heisman Trophy and one of the best players in the sport. He has completed 67.4% of passes, throwing for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns.
Mateer also is a force in the Sooners' running game, as he rushed for 190 yards and five touchdowns. He remains second in the country with 351.3 yards per game of total offense, trailing only Arkansas' Taylen Green.
Mateer has missed just one game since the announcement of his injury, as Oklahoma had a bye and then played Kent State last week.
Michael Hawkins Jr. started at quarterback for Oklahoma against Kent State, leading the Sooners to a 44-0 win. He passed for 162 yards and ran for 33 in the victory, completing 14 of 24 attempts and throwing three touchdowns.
ESPN's Eli Lederman contributed to this report.