When Missouri freshman quarterback Drew Lock first took the field in the fourth quarter of a game, the Tigers were up by 24 points against an FCS opponent.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel had indicated before that opening week that Lock would likely see some second-quarter action, just as other young, talented Missouri quarterbacks like Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert had in the past. Indeed, Lock quarterbacked the Tigers on their first offensive possession of the second quarter of that game against Southeast Missouri. The same thing happened in subsequent games, making the first drive of the second quarter “Lock’s Drive.”

With the Tigers up multiple touchdowns against an inferior opponent, Pinkel put Lock back in with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The freshman completed his first pass, failed to complete his next but then launched a 78-yard touchdown to a wide-open running back. Lock looked enthusiastically boyish after throwing his first collegiate touchdown, with Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk — the team’s starter who has helped mentor Lock — being the first to embrace him as he celebrated the score on Faurot Field.

After that game, it appeared Lock was the perfect developmental backup. The Tigers could insert him into a series or two each game, provided the Tigers were up multiple scores, and have him get in synch with Missouri’s young receivers, most of whom are expected to be with the team when Mauk graduates in 2017 and Lock succeeds him as QB.

But when Mauk embraced Lock after his touchdown two weeks ago, the redshirt junior couldn’t have imagined the possibility of a new direction at quarterback this season.

Like the first two games of 2015, Lock played Missouri’s opening drive of the second quarter against Connecticut. Also like those first two games against Southeast Missouri and Arkansas State, Missouri’s offense looked lackluster under Mauk, especially when considering the competition.

But unlike Missouri’s first two unimpressive offensive performances, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel inserted Lock in a close second half. The Tigers were only up 9-6 on the Huskies when Lock started his second drive of the game. He came in with an energetic applause from Missouri fans, who had booed Mauk earlier in the second quarter after another failed drive.

Lock completed three passes that drive and also helped draw a 15-yard pass interference that got the Tigers further upfield. He also threw three incompletions, including an overthrown ball to Nate Brown to end the drive that showed his young age.

But that Lock was in the game at all at that point is very telling when it comes to Missouri’s quarterback situation.

Pinkel said after the game that he gave the ball to Lock based on “feel.” While that seems like a silly statement for a coach as regimented as Pinkel, you have to remember he’s the same coach who “felt” Brad Smith and Chase Daniel were the right options at QB earlier than most anticipated. The guy knows his quarterbacks.

Because of external circumstances, Pinkel isn’t going to make a drastic change in a vacuum. Even if Lock has been better than Mauk in 2015 (and, while that certainly seems to be the case based off the eye test, there isn’t enough meaningful data from Lock to make any conclusions), Missouri’s offense is struggling primarily due to Russell Hansbrough’s absence and the limitations of its backup running backs. This was always going to be a run-first team, and the team just can’t seem to do that at the moment.

That is, except for Mauk. Missouri’s lone touchdown came on a run from the talented scrambler. His constant decision to scramble left and try to create something out of nothing is the primary cause for his inaccuracy and causes frustration with his receivers. But Mauk is also Missouri’s best running option with Hansbrough out, even though Lock is certainly athletic himself. It’s because of this gamesmanship that Pinkel is drawn to Mauk, who like the coach, is an Ohio native.

It’s also important to note how close Missouri quarterbacks coach Andy Hill and Lock are. Hill recruited the Kansas City-area native throughout high school and is close with Lock’s father, who like Hill, played for the Tigers in the 1980s. David Yost, the primary recruiter of Mauk and the coach he was closest to, left after the 2012 season.

Pinkel is the man in charge when it comes to starting decisions, but he gives a large amount of control to his staff. Many of his assistants, like Hill, have been around the program forever. Pinkel helps set the depth chart with their input, and Hill certainly has the ability to sway Pinkel in another direction.

As the season continues, Mauk will likely continue as the de facto starter. Pinkel is incredibly loyal when it comes to his quarterbacks, and Mauk’s record as a starter (17-4) is too strong a sample size to ignore – even given Missouri’s great defenses during Mauk’s three-year stretch. But if Hansbrough gets healthy and Mauk continues to make costly decisions, expect more second-half drives from the true freshman.