Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer was very candid while discussing his infamous hand injury suffered against the Auburn Tigers in a 24-17 OU win in Norman last September with On3's Wilson Alexander.
Elsewhere, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt revealed his picks for the two teams that could meet again in the SEC Championship this fall.
Here were some gridiron headlines from the SEC to start the week:
John Mateer has many thoughts about his hand injury
Mateer was honest about practically every feeling he had while playing through a broken bone in his right thumb in the first quarter against Auburn. It didn't sound easy recalling, but Mateer showed a positive attitude about how the injury affected him and how he came out on the other side.
"I have no regrets in the challenge I put myself through. Obviously, it didn’t work out. Like, it sucked. We all watched it. I’m not saying that. But it’s just the result. I learned a lot, and you learn that you can adapt, and then in the offseason, go back," Mateer said.
Before and after the injury were two different QBs. Mateer completed 59.4% of his passes while throwing for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions after the injury, while completing 67.4% of his passes, with 11 total touchdowns, and throwing three interceptions before the injury. Facing early-season cupcakes helped those latter stats out, but the point remains: Mateer wasn't even 50% of the QB he was during the first half of the 2025 campaign once that hand struck.
Given how jacked he looked at the Manning Passing Academy, it's hard not to think Mateer is over those injuries and should be absolutely dominant this fall.
Joel Klatt predicts Georgia and Alabama to run the SEC again
Klatt went out on a limb and predicted the Dawgs and Tide to be near the top of the SEC again by the time the conference championship game rolls around. Klatt did so while deeming the two programs' Week 6 matchup as one of the games of the season.
“You got to think about the last 12 SEC championship games. Either Georgia or Alabama have been in every single one of them, and either Georgia or Alabama has won 11 of the last 12. The only SEC team to win an SEC title not named Georgia or Alabama is LSU with Joe Burrow," Klatt said.
While Alabama has won the last two regular-season matchups, UGA steamrolled the Tide 28-7 in the SEC title game in December. Many felt the Tide should've been excluded from the field after losing that game, but both teams went on to lose in the second round of the CFP.
The Dawgs enter the 2026 season with a chip on their shoulder after losing to the Ole Miss Rebels in the postseason. It is not an exaggeration to say Alabama is entering the year with the chance to get Kalen DeBoer fired if the season flies off the rails.
These two teams meeting in Week 6 will determine many storylines within the "It Just Means More" conference in a few months.
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