Up and down is probably the most apt way to describe Maty Mauk’s 2014 season.

Fortunately for the Missouri Tigers, Mauk is on the upswing as the Tigers prepare to face Alabama in the SEC Championship.

The sophomore gunslinger started off slow in SEC play — 0 TD, 5 INT in first three games — but has turned things around in recent weeks — 8 TD and 2 INT in final five SEC games.

According to head coach Gary Pinkel, it was merely a learning process for Mauk, who was in the midst of his first full season as a starter.

“There’s so many different ways to have adversity as a quarterback,” Pinkel said. “I told him when he was going through this that this was something he was going to learn from … but don’t question your ability. Just keep making yourself a better football player. I think he’s making better decisions … and I think he’s working hard at doing that and making progress.”

Surprisingly enough, Mauk may be getting a favorable matchup this Saturday against the Crimson Tide secondary. Alabama’s defense is often considered one of the best in the country every year, and while it is stout against the run (2nd in college football), the secondary hasn’t been nearly as dominant.

Alabama’s pass defense falls in at 10th in the SEC, giving up 219.7 yards per game through the air. The unit has fought through some injuries this season, but it’ll be at full strength come Saturday. Consequently, the tipping point within this matchup will come from Mauk’s success in executing big plays.

Mauk is a Brett Favre-like quarterback in the sense that he’s not afraid to scramble out of the pocket and bomb passes downfield. He’s not afraid to take chances. Sometimes to a fault, Mauk is always looking to make a play and Alabama realizes the importance of the sophomore’s playmaking tendencies to the rest of the offense.

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“He has two plays,” Alabama safety Nick Perry said on Monday, “the play they call and the play he just breaks down and does what he wants and just makes a great play.”

Mauk’s high-risk, high-reward mentality cost him early in the season by way of nine interceptions in his first seven games, but its been more reward lately for the first-year starter.

“If you look at him in high school and here a little bit, you see he has the ability to make big plays,” Pinkel said about his quarterback. “He’s showing that right now when it comes to crunch time. In our business, there always comes a time where you have to make big plays for an opportunity to win and that’s in his makeup a little bit.”

“It certainly doesn’t surprise me,” Pinkel added. “He’s playing better and better each and every week. That consistency is important for us.”

Crunch time has been Mauk’s time to shine this season, too. And with Missouri’s last five games decided by 10 points or less, he’s been through those critical late-game moments more than a few times.

Mauk’s numbers are nearly as impressive as other SEC quarterbacks over the course of the season, but this SEC Championship will come down to how the sophomore performs inside the Georgia Dome and Missouri fans have to be encouraged by the improved play of their offensive leader.

With Mauk’s playing style, the momentum of the game will dramatically shift at least a few times on account of his decision making. And as 14-point underdogs, Mauk’s ability to take advantage of an average Alabama secondary will dictate much of how this year’s SEC Championship will play out.