By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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As projected, Maty Mauk has picked up right where he left off to start the 2014 season.

Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk entered this season with national attention and high expectations. After starting four games as a redshirt freshman and helping to lead the Tigers to 12 wins and the SEC Championship Game, Mauk’s spring and summer was filled with headlines about him being one the league’s new leaders under center. With the likes of Johnny Manziel, A.J. McCarron, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray having moved on the NFL, Mauk was one expected to fill the void.

Two games in, with Mauk tied for the national lead in touchdown passes, the progression has been close to perfect.

It’s not as if the foreshadowing wasn’t there. A heralded prep recruit who finished his career as the all-time leading passer in the history of high school football, Mauk chose Missouri over Michigan, Notre Dame and others. An injury to starting signal caller James Franklin forced him into his collegiate debut on the road at 7th ranked Georgia. Mauk entered early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers clinging to a two-point lead. He completed 3-of-3 passes and converted a key third down rushing in a 41-26 win.

“We were just sitting there going through the plays and then they call timeout and say it’s my time to go in,” Mauk recalled. “I was just doing what I’ve been prepared to do, and I came in and did what I needed to.”

A status quo of efficiency and execution was set. Shifting right into the lineup, Mauk threw for nearly 300 yards the very next week in a victory over Florida in his first career start. He later threw for three touchdowns against Tennessee and five scores at Kentucky. Mauk also connected on a scoring pass in a Cotton Bowl triumph over Oklahoma State. Though there were some inevitable growing pains, Mauk finished his freshman year with 1,071 passing yards, eleven touchdowns and 229 rushing yards and another score.

As projected, Mauk has picked up right where he left off to start the 2014 season, throwing for three touchdowns in a win over South Dakota State. Playing on the road at Toledo in week two, Mauk scored six total touchdowns in a relative-homecoming and a 49-24 victory. He tied a school-record with five scoring passes, compiling 361 total yards. Mauk set new career highs in completions (21) and passing yards (325).

“Weve played a lot of good quarterbacks but Maty Mauk is definitely up there,” explained Rockets linebacker Chase Murdock. “He moves well in the pocket, hes got a good o-line in front of him and he has big receivers to get the ball to.d

Given the production, it’s easy to forget how relatively-inexperienced Mauk truly is. Despite that, he already has four career games with three touchdown passes or more. Saturday, he had scoring tosses of 7, 13, 13, 25 and 12 yards. Mauk added a 1-yard rushing touchdown. The Tigers have responded to his gritty leadership and inspiring playmaking ability.

cMaty really played well today. Hes going to learn a lot from this game. Its only his sixth start. Theres a lot of little things he needs to do better. Hes a playmaker. He did a really good job and when you produce numbers like that the people around him are playing well,” MU head coach Gary Pinkel added.

Mauk was the lone offensive underclassman at SEC Media Days back in July, a testament to both his presence and his skill. Potential that has been on display since his days at Kenton High School in Ohio is now coming to full fruition. Already, Mauk is showing signs of being one of the premier quarterbacks in the country. He currently stands seventh in all of college football with a passer rating of 186.13.

The schedule will soon become more difficult for Missouri as defending Fiesta Bowl champion Central Florida awaits, followed by Indiana, then consecutive games against division rivals South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Pinkel’s nationally-ranked Tigers will follow their star signal caller all the way to the finish.