SEC PREVIEW MISSOURI

Now it's his time

Mauk confident as he becomes go-to guy

Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk (7) tries to warm up during pre-game drills prior to their NCAA college football game against Mississippi, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, in Oxford, Miss. No. 8 Missouri won 24-10. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Maty Mauk got a feel for running Missouri's offense last season when helped the Tigers win the SEC East title.

This season, the redshirt sophomore quarterback is ready to take over on a full-time basis with the departure of senior James Franklin.

At a glance

LAST SEASON 12-2, 7-1 (first) in SEC East

COACH Gary Pinkel (102-62 going into 14th season at Missouri, 175-100-3 in 23 seasons overall)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 4, defense 5, special teams 2

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB Maty Mauk, RB Marcus Murphy, C Evan Boehm, DE Markus Golden

SEC TITLE SCENARIO Missouri is predicted in most preseason polls to fall back into the SEC East pack after winning the division, but the Tigers may pull a surprise again if quarterback Maty Mauk plays as well as expected and the team finds some new playmaking receivers. The running game is solid, led by tailbacks Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough. Defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray should provide a big-time pass rush after combining for 11 sacks last season.

Missouri schedule

DATE;OPPONENT

Aug. 30;S. Dakota State

Sept. 6;at Toledo

Sept. 13;Central Florida

Sept. 20;Indiana

Sept. 27;at South Carolina*

Oct. 11;Georgia*

Oct. 18;at Florida*

Oct. 25;Vanderbilt*

Nov. 1;Kentucky*

Nov. 15;at Texas A&M*

Nov. 22;at Tennessee*

Nov. 28;Arkansas*

*SEC game

"Maty's the guy now," Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said at SEC media days. "I think our players have a lot of confidence in him."

Mauk has plenty of confidence in himself.

"I'm not going out there managing the game anymore," he said. "I'm going out there with an explosive offense to put points on the board."

When Franklin had to leave the Georgia game last season because of shoulder injury, Mauk came off the bench in the fourth quarter and helped Missouri pull away to a 41-26 victory after the Bulldogs had cut the Tigers' lead to 28-26.

"That was crazy," Mauk said. "I remember James went down and [senior tailback] Henry Josey came up to me and said, 'Hey, just be you, kid.' That's stuck with me to this day."

Mauk started four games, including a 48-17 victory against Kentucky when he had a school-record five touchdown passes. He played in 13 games and completed 68 of 133 passes (51.1 percent) for 1,071 yards and 11 touchdowns with 2 interceptions, and he rushed 41 times for 229 yards and 1 touchdown.

"Maty's a playmaker," Missouri junior center Evan Boehm said. "He's done a great job, and I'm excited to see what he'll do when he's got the ball in his hands all year long."

Mauk made his first start in the Tigers' 36-17 victory over Florida. On the game's first play, he completed a pass to L'Damian Washington for a 41-yard gain, then threw a touchdown pass to Bud Sasser to put Missouri ahead 7-0 less than 30 seconds into the the game.

The Florida game, Mauk said, became a turning point for him.

"You come out there and that's your first start, and they had the confidence in me to go deep on the first play and then throw a touchdown on the second play against the third-ranked defense in the country," Mauk said. "That's something big, and that's what really slowed everything down for me."

Pinkel said Mauk didn't surprise him last season.

"That's the way he was in high school," Pinkel said. "He's just got the 'it' factor."

Mauk was a Parade All-American in high school at Kenton, Ohio, where he set national career records for passing yards (18,932), touchdown passes (219), completions (1,353) and total offense (22,681 yards).

"Obviously, you have to block and give him time to throw the football, establish our running game, make plays," Pinkel said. "It's not all Maty Mauk. But I think he's a player that has great, great potential."

Mauk said he didn't surprise himself, either, with how he performed last season.

"When you're playing in the SEC, you have to be ready, and I was ready," he said. "Maybe I wasn't mentally or physically all the way there, but I knew this was my opportunity and I made the most of it."

After the SEC lost a heralded group of quarterbacks -- Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Alabama's AJ McCarron, Georgia's Aaron Murray and LSU's Zach Mettenberger -- Mauk said he is hoping to show his star power.

"I think I put a dual threat thing in there," Mauk said. "I was a track guy. I can run and throw, and I can throw on the run.

"I can run around and make people miss. That's the thing that not every quarterback has. If something goes bad, you can turn it around and make it into a big play. I think I have that ability."

Mauk said he admires Manziel and wants to pattern his game after the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, who is now a rookie with the Cleveland Browns.

"He can turn anything into something," Mauk said. "He can change a game so quick by being able to make plays. That's something I feel I can do, and that I have to do.

"I watch him on film all the time. He's a great player and someone I'm going to try to play like."

Missouri lost its top receiver when Dorial Green-Beckham, now at Oklahoma, was dismissed from the team by Pinkel last spring for disciplinary reasons.

"A guy like that doesn't come around very often," Mauk said. "But I have a lot of confidence in the guys we have."

Mauk said he has good options with the receivers and tight ends, led by returnees Sasser, Jimmy Hunt and Darius White. He said he's also excited about freshmen J'Mon Moore, Nate Brown, Lawrence Lee and DeSean Blair.

"Those freshmen aren't sitting back and watching," Mauk said of summer workouts. "They're trying to get to the top right now. That's why I'm working them in with me, so I can start to learn these guys so they're ready to play when the season starts."

Mauk took a break from workouts with his teammates to attend the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, La.

"I went down there feeling good, but when I came back I really felt a difference," Mauk said. "I gained not just quarterback skills, but everything from huddle-breaking skills and leadership skills. That camp took me to the next level."

Pinkel said Mauk has natural leadership skills.

"He's a winner. The players know that," Pinkel said. "He's a remarkable competitor. They know it. They respect the way he leads, because he leads in a very, very positive way."

Up next: Alabama

Sports on 07/26/2014