That is the true question going into Mizzou’s season this year. Mauk now has a season of being a starting quarterback in the SEC where he played pretty well. Many critics consider 2015 to be his make or break year.
Mauk was rated as a three-start recruit by Rivals and a four star recruit by Scout.com coming out of Kenton High School in Ohio. He committed and signed to Mizzou and then redshirted in his freshman year in 2012.
The following year as a redshirt sophomore he was second on the depth chart behind James Franklin, who is now a quarterback in the CFL. Mauk saw his debut come against ranked Florida when Franklin was injured. Mauk impressed and all saw his potential. Mauk saw some playing time in a few other games and continued to impress when he got into the game.
Mauk had high expectations coming into 2013, as most expected that he would be the starting quarterback and was eventually named so. He led the Tigers to an 11-3 record, SEC East division title, and Citrus Bowl victory. Along the way, Mauk threw for 2648 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Mauk also rushed for 373 yards and two touchdowns.
Mauk’’s stats weren’t bad at all. But it was his stat lines in each of the losses. Against unranked Indiana at home, Mauk threw for 331 yards, two touchdowns, and had one interception. That isn’t bad on paper but considering this was against Indiana, who finished the season at 4-8, Mauk’s play was awful. Against Georgia, Mauk was 9/21 with 97 yards and four interceptions. This was a critical game for the Tigers in the season and the Tigers didn’t even score a single point. And in Mizzou’s last loss of the season against Alabama, Mauk threw for 272 yards and one touchdown and no turnovers but those stats aren’t going to beat Alabama or really any other team. Alabama’s defense is one of the best, but Mauk still could have played better. He threw 18 incompletions in that game alone.
Maty Mauk must improve his decision in order for the Tigers to make a run in the SEC in 2015. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Maty Mauk threw the ball 414 times in 2013, and only completed 221 of those passes. Mauk finished the season with a 56..3 QBR; which is slightly better than average. Mauk also had a problem with rushing throws and indecisiveness when throwing the ball throughout the season. He had many questionable throws as well that ended up being interceptions. Mizzou sympathizers will just say it’s first year starting jitters, that he is more experienced now than he was last year and will do better in 2015. But the critics will say he is just not a very good quarterback overall.
Maty Mauk during Mizzou’s Spring Game in 2015. L.G. Patterson/Associated Press
Maty Mauk has claimed to have fixed a lot of his problems from last season (rushing throws, pocket presence, throws on the run, etc.). I think he will fare much better in 2015 than he did in 2014. He is a senior now and is one of, if not the biggest leader on the team. My prediction is that we can expect close to 3000 passing yards and over 30 total touchdowns from Mauk and less than 10 interceptions. In terms of Mizzou’s record, only time will tell because the Tigers are returning half of their starters on both offense and defense. But in the end, I see Mauk leading the Tigers to their third straight Top-25 finish.
