Maty Mauk
#7 | 6'0, 200, RSFr. | Kenton, OH
Bill C.: He is Johnny Manziel. He is Chase Daniel. He is Brad Banks. Maty Mauk's skill set is both fun and easy to compare to that of some really, really good quarterbacks. The all-time high school passing yardage leader chose Missouri over any number of other programs, and it was easy to slot him in line behind James Franklin. And when Franklin struggled in 2012, it was easy to assume that he would actually surpass Franklin before Franklin's career was over.
There's still a chance that that happens, obviously, but in the spring he potentially experienced higher highs and lower lows than the senior incumbent, and this staff doesn't do "lows." With a ferocious August, Mauk could still win the starting job, but the odds are pretty slim right now. Chances are good that he'll be duking it out with Corbin Berkstresser next spring in the hopes of beginning a three-year starting run.
By the way, what happens if we average out the per-year contributions of the three players listed above -- the defending Heisman trophy winner, the greatest quarterback in Mizzou history, and the incredibly successful Iowa quarterback (and junior college transfer) of a decade ago?
Freshman: 167-for-250 passing (67%), 2,027 yards, 14 TD, 6 INT; 120 carries, 734 yards, 11 TD
Sophomore: 287-for-452 passing (63%), 3,527 yards, 28 TD, 10 INT; 147 carries, 379 yards, 4 TD
Junior: 213-for-316 (67%), 2,444 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT; 74 carries, 207 yards, 3 TD
Senior: 278-for-411 (68%), 3,454 yards, 33 TD, 12 INT; 75 carries, 288 yards, 3 TD
No pressure, Maty. All you have to do is be that awesome beginning with your first snap.
Mauk's skill set is tantalizing. It really is. His read-and-react abilities at the snap and his vast spread experience in high school certainly lend to the Chase Daniel vibe. And his ability to extend plays outside of the pocket are certainly easy to compare to a certain 2012 redshirt freshman (and Heisman winner) who, at this point last year, still didn't know if he'd be starting that season. But he showed in the spring that he still had a long way to go. And while he was meant to struggle in a one-hand-touch environment, so is James Franklin. And Franklin outplayed him.
It's okay to be both incredibly excited about the Maty Mauk era and be accepting of the fact that it might not start until next year. And as I said before, if he does manage to beat Franklin out, that's very good for Mizzou, because he'd have beaten out a pretty damn good quarterback. I guess we wait and see.
MizzouRugby: If he can beat out James in fall camp, then hell yes. If he can’t, then hell yes. Either way, Maty Mauk is gonna start for MU with DGB to throw to and Josey hand off to. At least I hope so.
The Beef: I am not quite ready to annoint Mauk as the starter for next season. I was not terribly impressed with what I saw at the Spring Game, though I fully realize it is the smallest of sample sizes. I am excited to see him in early season mop-up time, though I dont know how much more we will see beyond that. Going to be quite the spring in 2014, that is for sure, and there is no doubt Mauk is the early leader of the fight.