Booger McFarland encourages defenders to step on John Mateer’s hand

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer was looking to make his return to the field on Saturday against the rival Texas Longhorns following surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand.

Beforehand, ESPN on ABC analyst Booger McFarland was less concerned with what Mateer could do than with what opposing defensive linemen could do to take him out of the game.

As ABC’s coverage of Alabama’s win over Missouri ended and the network switched to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, where Mateer was warming up on the field. As the announcer mentioned, it was Mateer’s first game since undergoing hand surgery on September 24, and that he was playing just 17 days later, McFarland interjected to say that if he were a Texas defender, he might keep an eye out for an opportunity to step on the QB’s hand.

“That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on.” – ESPN/ABC’s Booger McFarland on Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who recently had surgery on a broken bone in his right hand. 😬

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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) October 11, 2025 at 1:21 PM

“That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on as a defensive lineman,” said McFarland.

If it was an attempt at a joke, it was a bad one and certainly in poor taste. As a former defensive lineman himself, McFarland would perhaps say that’s just part of the game, but it’s an ugly look.

Much of ESPN and ABC’s coverage leading up to the game focused on Mateer’s ability to play and grip the ball, highlighting how impressive it was for the quarterback to return so soon after surgery.

McFarland, meanwhile, came across as mean-spirited and encouraging purposeful injury to a college player, hardly the image ESPN and ABC would want from their analysts.