Maty Mauk accounted for six touchdowns against Toledo, earning him recognition across the nation in highlight shows.

He completed nearly 66 percent of his passes for 10.2 yards per attempt. Missouri put up 49 points, topping the Vegas line (Tigers -3) by more than three touchdowns in large part due to his efforts.

Mauk has started just six college games, and this was his second road start. Still, examining the game in more detail shows that Mauk needs to correct a few weaknesses. Let’s take a closer look at his game.

OVERVIEW

Missouri’s offensive line bought Mauk all kinds of time on some plays, and Mauk held the ball too long on others. Still, Toledo was able to apply pressure on a decent percentage of snaps.

Mauk’s tendency is to tuck the ball and run when pressured. He rarely kept his eyes downfield once Toledo flushed him from the pocket.

At times he also has difficulty spotting linebackers and safeties in zone coverage and progressing through all his reads.

Like any inexperienced quarterback, he needs to throw the ball away and sacrifice the down more often instead of forcing the ball into coverage or automatically running. Even Pro Bowl quarterbacks make mistakes under duress, but he’ll also learn to better contend with a messy pocket as he matures.

Both of his interceptions were in Missouri territory, and he threw into double coverage and took unnecessary risks a few other times as well.

I will say this for Mauk: He does a nice job of avoiding big hits when he does run, sliding or protecting himself. And when he can set his feet, scan the field and correctly identify receivers in single coverage, he makes some terrific throws.

GOOD MAUK

This video shows some examples of good Mauk. Let’s go through the four plays quickly.

  1. Mauk takes a five-step drop, appears to look off the safety and then finds Darius White in 1-on-1 coverage. He sets his feet well and appears unhurried as he lofts the pass upfield. White beats the Toledo defensive back in a jump ball situation for a 45-yard gain.
  2. The Rockets flush Mauk, who rolls to his right toward the sideline as he advances toward the line of scrimmage. But he keeps his eyes downfield, and when the defenders react to the threat of a Mauk run, he leaps and pushes a pass across his body to an uncovered White in the end zone.
  3. Under duress, Mauk backpeddles, but maintains awareness. Jimmie Hunt is squatting between two Toledo players in a sizable window in the end zone, and Mauk easily gets enough on the throw to reach him for a 12-yard touchdown.
  4. On third-and-7, Mauk faces a five-man rush. The pocket holds well, and Mauk is able to step up and fire a clean pass to Bud Sasser, who has 1-on-1 coverage down the left sideline. It’s good for a 47-yard gain. Sasser took a screen pass 25 yards for a touchdown on the next play.

BAD MAUK

  1. On the first play, Mauk escapes from the pocket, then sprints right. Marcus Murphy heads upfield and the Toledo defender does a nice job of hedging between covering Murphy and coming after Mauk. But eventually the Rockets player decides to sprint at the quarterback (0:07 in the video), and Murphy is alone 10 yards downfield with no defender in the area. Instead of flipping the ball to his all-purpose stud, Mauk continues toward the sideline and absorbs a hard shove out of bounds.
  2. Mauk’s got a receiver (White?) on the right side of the field who has sprinted past 1-on-1 coverage. But he throws toward tight end Sean Culkin instead, failing to see the safety help over the top. Luckily, Missouri’s receivers got Missouri the ball back immediately, but Mauk basically gave Toledo the ball inside the 15-yard line with a 14-7 score late in the first quarter.
  3. Facing third-and-12 after the Tigers recovered the football, his feet planted in the end zone, Mauk can’t find anyone open downfield. Instead of dumping the ball to Murphy on the right side with room to run, giving the team a chance at a first down or at least an easier punt, he risks another interception deep in his own territory.
  4. Despite a lack of pressure, Mauk fails to step into this throw, putting too much air under the ball and turning a likely touchdown into another near-interception.
  5. Another third-and-12. Mauk absorbs a hit just as he throws. He may have been trying to throw the ball away, or perhaps he was trying to give White a chance to make a play. Either way, he has to take better care of the football here.

SHORT THROWS (>10 YARDS IN THE AIR)

12-of-14, 3 TDs, 104 yards

Two of the three touchdowns were screen passes misplayed by the defense.

Both incomplete passes were dropped screen passes, one by Hunt and one by Culkin, though Mauk put too much mustard on the latter throw.

Mauk targeted White and Hunt four times each on short throws. Two of Murphy’s three targets also fit into this range.

INTERMEDIATE THROWS (11-20 YARDS IN THE AIR)

6-of-10, 2 TDs, 105 yards, also drew a pass interference call

Hunt drew half of the targets on intermediate routes, including one dropped pass and one ill-advised throw into double coverage.

In spite of those two throws, and another one forced to Lawrence Lee in coverage, and Mauk was most productive in this area of the field, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt not including the pass interference he drew on a throw to Culkin.

LONG THROWS (21+ YARDS IN THE AIR)

3-of-8, 2 INTs, 116 yards

This wasn’t Mauk’s best game on deep balls. He connected with White and twice with Sasser, but the two interceptions should’ve been avoided.

BREAKING DOWN MAUK’S TARGETS

Hunt: 10 targets. Two drops. Six catches for 71 yards.

White: Seven targets. Four of them came on short throws. Five catches for 69 yards.

Sasser: Five targets. Five catches for 121 yards.

Culkin: Five targets. Two catches for 23 yards, both in the first quarter, and he drew a pass interference call.

Murphy: Three targets. Three catches for 41 yards. Often served as Mauk’s safety valve.

Lee: One target. Zero catches.

J’Mon Moore: One target. Zero catches.