Mizzou's Maty Mauk delivers gritty performance in Citrus Bowl win
ORLANDO, Fla. — Flush it and move on.
It’s those words of wisdom that Maty Mauk has learned to live by and while decision-making is often questioned, his competitive nature is not.
One of Mauk’s best qualities as a streaky quarterback is his ability to bounce back from mistakes to deliver in the clutch for 16th-ranked Mizzou, something he did several times down the stretch in leading his team to an SEC East title this season.
During Thursday’s Citrus Bowl victory over Minnesota, Mauk responded once more, rebounding from two early interceptions to finish with 135 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, one coming on a 18-yard burst through the center of the Gophers’ defense early in the third quarter that sparked renewed confidence for the sophomore passer the rest of the way.
Mizzou (11-3) finishes with the second-most wins in the SEC for the second consecutive season, a number head coach Gary Pinkel hangs his hat on. It’s the first time since 1973 the Tigers have won three consecutive bowl games.
“We’re really proud of our players and our staff,” Pinkel said. “Three years ago, we were coming off a losing season, the first one we had in like nine years and little did we know, greatness was around the corner for our football team. We competed, we battled and we got closer and got tougher.”
Indicative of Mauk’s mentality as a gamer, his collision at the goal line with Minnesota’s Derrick Wells, a cornerback who picked him off earlier in the game, defined his gritty performance. Mauk won the physical battle and barreled his way into the end zone, showing emotion for the first time on the afternoon.
Wells left the game with concussion-like symptoms with the Gophers trailing, 19-14.
Maty Mauk delivers the BOOM! https://t.co/vGST0wpfDn
— Eric Blumberg (@BlumbergOTB) January 1, 2015
Playing through pain and an apparent stomach virus, Mauk seemed to find his groove during Mizzou’s only touchdown drive of the first half when he showcased his playmaking ability on back-to-back plays. After picking up 20 yards on a broken-tackle scramble, he found Bud Sasser on a corner route in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown over the outstretched arm of Minnesota’s Briean Boddy-Calhoun, the Gophers’ top corner.
Running for his life throughout against a feisty front seven, Mauk overcame a couple questionable decisions — notably on third down — to play mistake-free in the second half, giving way to the Tigers’ season-best rushing performance (337 yards).
Mauk iced it with 4:51 left with a perfectly-thrown fade pass to Sasser on 3rd-and-6 from the 7. Marcus Murphy did the heavy lifting, picking up 69 yards on a nifty run inside the Minnesota 10.