Maty Mauk, whether you love him or hate him, is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks to ever seen play at Mizzou. At times it seemed that he could make something happen out of nothing. Mauk helped guide Mizzou to back-to-back SEC East Championships; once when James Franklin went down and the second year when he was the lone quarterback at the helm. The 2015 season started with a lot of hope from Mizzou fans, as the national media doubted the team but with Mauk as a quarterback fans believe that anything could happen. All Mauk did was win, up until 2015 that is.
When Mauk was suspended for the first time, the rumors started to spread. At first Mizzou fans did not want to believe them, but the longer the suspension lasted the more suspicious it became. At the time of the original suspension, Mauk had already become a scapegoat for many to blame the season on. Many fans said that Mizzou was having issues with their offense and Mauk was to blame. He was scrambling around and throwing interceptions.
After the suspension, it became clear that removing Mauk was not the answer. He was a quarterback who was making the most out of a bad situation and an offensive line that couldn’t block to give him even a moment to make such plays. What Tom Brady went through in the AFC Championship game was the nightmare that Mauk lived every game last year. However, this is no reason to excuse the actions that led to Mauk’s dismissal from the team.
As a Mizzou fan, it brings back the memories of Dorial Green-Beckham from his time at the school. He was another amazing player with all the talent in the world, but one who would risk it all and make stupid off-field mistakes. Mistakes are something that happens for college aged kids, and many can relate to that. However, these mistakes were above and beyond what the average person does. To top it off, Mauk let his so called “friends” film these mistakes. The danger here is that now even a supposedly two-year-old video has come back to beat him .
The said part for Mauk is that he probably does not have the immense talent to overcome this and still make the NFL like Green-Beckham, Johnny Manziel and Aldon Smith did. This should give someone like Mauk extra incentive to try and work harder to get his degree. Instead, he finds himself kicked out of school.
The video surfacing was the last of Mauk at Mizzou. It led to the quarterback’s third suspension in a six month span. This was too much and Mauk is no longer enrolled at the university. While everyone saw it coming, it is sad to see another athlete throw so much away. All that remains of Mauk’s time at Mizzou is a 17-5 record as a starter and a lot of “what ifs”. What if Green-Beckham didn’t get kicked off the team the year Mizzou went to its second SEC Championship game? What if Mauk didn’t get suspended during the 2015 season? Remember Mizzou had a record of 3-1 when the first suspension came up and they lost a few games by just not scoring a touchdown when they needed to.
It would have been a dream scenario for Mauk to step in and complete the seemingly impossible drive while giving every fan a near heart attack on every play. That was just the type of player he was and it made for some great games over his career. One play that he will always remembered for was the 18-yard touchdown run against Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl when he hit the truck stick at the goal line and powered his way into the end zone.
In a way it is almost fitting that this is how Mauk goes out at Mizzou: a disaster that fans just can’t look away from. It might be hard for some fans to say especially with the way Mauk finished things at Mizzou but his on-field play will be missed. Hopefully this troubled young man can get his off-field issues in order.
