We have probably seen the last of quarterback Maty Mauk for a while,
but the Missouri football team's promising redshirt freshman
quarterback won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Mauk more than
filled in admirably for injured starter James Franklin over the past
five weeks. After finishing off a win at Georgia when Franklin left with
a shoulder injury, he led the Tigers to victories over Florida,
Tennessee and Kentucky and a narrow two-overtime loss to South Carolina.
He topped off his stint by tying a school record with his five
touchdown passes at Kentucky.
Above all, Mauk saved a 2013 season
that could have turned sour when Franklin hurt his shoulder, a year
after Franklin's injuries (and others) contributed to a miserable
inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference.
Mizzou is now 9-1 overall and leading the SEC East with a 5-1 record.
Missouri
coach Gary Pinkel said Saturday that Franklin will start the Tigers'
next game, at Ole Miss on Nov. 23. The senior quarterback had practiced
the past two weeks and was able to take some snaps late in the win at
Kentucky.
So with Mauk moving back to the sideline, presumably
for the duration, let's give him a hearty pat on the back, if not a
steady slow clap. Or both. He earned it.
And what's nice about
Mauk's run is that we know now that he's the real deal. Mauk has proven
that when Franklin graduates after this season, he is ready to take
over.
Missouri's coaches, players and fans have to feel good
about that. A year ago, the Tigers went 3-5 in the eight games Franklin
started, including two losses in games he left because of injuries, and
went 2-2 in Corbin Berkstresser's four starts — with losses against
Alabama and Texas A&M.
Mauk watched that 2012 season unfold
from the sideline during his redshirt season. There's no way to know if
he could have made a difference in how that season went, but he
certainly did in this one.
The SEC honored Mauk with its
Freshman Player of the Week award on Monday morning, his second straight
award and third in four weeks.
That's certainly not a shabby parting gift.
TIGERS DROP IN BCS RANKINGS
Despite
the blowout win at Kentucky on Saturday, Mizzou fell one spot, from
eighth to ninth, when the BCS standings were announced Sunday. The
Tigers had moved up one spot a week earlier.
Missouri moved up
from No. 9 to No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, following Oklahoma's
loss to Baylor, but the Tigers remain ninth in the Associated Press
rankings.
LINEBACKER BRANDON LEE COMMITS
The Tigers picked up a key verbal commitment on Friday when senior linebacker Brandon Lee of Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis pledged to Mizzou in a ceremony at his school.
"They
hit on all points; they're in the SEC, the best conference there is,"
Lee told FOXSportsNEXT.com. "They also have a great medical school and
an orthopedic surgeon program. I love how Coach (Dave) Steckel and Coach
(Gary) Pinkel coach."
Lee, who is rated as a four-star
linebacker by Scout/FOXSportsNext.com, chose Missouri after narrowing
down his decision to Mizzou, Virginia Tech, Cal and Louisville. He said
he was leaning toward Virginia Tech until visiting Columbia the previous
weekend, when he watched the Tigers defeat Tennessee.
Lee, a
6-foot-3, 210-pounder who is rated by Scout.com as the 28th-best outside
linebacker in the senior class, told the website he plans to graduate
high school early and enroll at Missouri in January.
That's a
bonus for the Tigers because it means Lee's scholarship will count
against the recruiting class for 2013 — the current freshman class — and
not 2014. That gives Pinkel and Co. more flexibility with the
recruiting class they will sign in February and another spot to use to
capitalize on the success of this season.
BACKCOURT SETS PACE
The
Missouri basketball team opened the season with an 89-53 win against
Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night and it was the talented
backcourt, as expected, that led the way.
Guards Jabari Brown,
Jordan Clarkson, Earnest Ross and Wes Clark combined to score 58 of the
Tigers' 89 points and knock down nine of the team's 12 3-pointers.
"We
are excited about our perimeter play with Jabari Brown and Earnest
Ross, and we went out and tried to guard the basketball as best we
could," Mizzou interim coach Tim Fuller said.
Clark was named
the league's Freshman of the Week after a stellar collegiate debut. A
freshman point guard from Detroit, Clark stuffed the stat sheet with 13
points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench. He did not commit
a turnover.
The backcourt will need to lead the way this winter because the Tigers figure to be young and inexperienced inside.
Freshman
Johnathan Williams III, a 6-9 forward, became the first freshman to
start a season opener since Jason Horton in 2004 and had seven points
and six assists in 20 minutes. Sophomore forward Ryan Rosburg made his
first start and scored seven points in 15 minutes.
Keanu Post, a
6-11 center who transferred from Southwestern Illinois College, started
Missouri's two exhibition games but has been hampered by an injury. He
played 11 minutes on Friday and contributed three rebounds and two
points.
The Tigers return to action Tuesday, when they host Southern Illinois at Mizzou Arena.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter (@natelatsch) or email him at natelatsch@gmail.com.
