Curious case of Maty Mauk: Timeline of his Missouri downfall
By Chris Wright
Published:
Maty Mauk was Next, the latest in Missouri’s recent run of successful quarterbacks.
Now, he’s just gone.
Mauk, a high school record-setter, hoped to follow Chase Daniel, Brad Smith, Blaine Gabbert and James Franklin in Gary Pinkel’s Quarterback Factory. Mauk once told Athlon Sports that he picked Missouri because he was a playmaker and the Missouri offense showcases quarterbacks.
The show is over, though. Mauk was suspended for the season Sunday, the latest and likely final chapter in his Missouri career.
“At the end of the season, we’ll look at it,” Pinkel told the Kansas City Star.
Oct. 19, 2013: Mauk, starting for the first time in place of Franklin, throws for 295 yards and a TD to lead Missouri past Florida 36-17. “Backup quarterback?” center Evan Boehm told reporters afterward. “Maty would be starting anywhere else.”
Nov. 9, 2013: Mauk throws 5 TD passes against Kentucky in his final start before Franklin returns.
Aug. 8, 2014: Mauk enters his sophomore season ranked among the 20 best players in the SEC. He was third in an SEC QB ranking, behind Nick Marshall and Bo Wallace.
Oct. 23, 2014: Mauk’s early struggles as a first-time, full-time starter have many questioning whether he deserved the nickname “Maty Favre.” Pinkel said the biggest issue is confidence.
Jan. 1, 2015: Mauk throws for 2 TDs and runs for another to lead the Tigers past Minnesota 33-17 in the Citrus Bowl.
July 29, 2015: Mauk dedicates the 2015 season to his father, who is battling cancer. “It’s hard,” Mauk told the Kansas City Star at the SEC Media Days. “At times, you’ll find yourself sitting in your room and just thinking about it, but if there’s anybody that can beat it, it’s him. Winning is something he knows how to do at a high level.”
Sept. 26, 2015: Mauk makes his fourth and final start of the season, completing just 15 of 30 passes for 180 yards as Missouri is upset by Kentucky.
Sept. 29, 2015: Pinkel suspends Mauk for the South Carolina game, saying Mauk violated team policies.
Oct. 25, 2015: Pinkel reinstates Mauk after month-long suspension.
Oct. 28, 2015: Mauk, who practiced the previous day, apologized to teammates.
“He just apologized,” wide receiver J’Mon Moore told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “and said he’d get his act together and be the leader that he’s supposed to be and we all know he can be.”
Nov. 1, 2015: Pinkel suspends Mauk for the rest of the season. Pinkel did not disclose the reason.
Nov. 2, 2015: The Post-Dispatch reports new details about what led to Mauk’s suspension. Mauk, shortly after apologizing to teammates, was involved in an altercation with another man outside a downtown bar.
Police were called several times to the area, but Mauk’s name did not appear in any reports, the paper reported.
No matter. Pinkel had seen enough, and Mauk had run out of chances.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
