Maty Mauk and Missouri Tigers Poised for Big Day vs Hoosiers
The Missouri Tigers are ready to enter the SEC play undefeated. The Indiana Hoosiers stand in between the Tigers and a 4-0 record on the young season.
Missouri has had little to no troubles with their first three opponents and dominated the Hoosiers a season ago 45-28. This year’s Hoosiers team may be a more difficult task for Missouri, as they rank 4th in the FBS in rushing yards per game at 345 ypg. Still, the Hoosiers are coming off of 45-42 defeat at the hands of the Bowling Green Falcons and enter the game against Missouri at 1-1.
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The Hoosiers gave up nearly 400 passing yards against Bowling Green’s James Knapke, so Maty Mauk should be in for a huge day. Mauk has made an early case that he’s the best QB in the SEC as he leads the nation in TD passes and is responsible for the most points in the nation (78 points).
"Maty Mauk is tied for the FBS lead in TD passes (12) in 77 attempts. The two guys he’s tied with have attempted at least 170 passes."
"— David Morrison (@DavidCMorrison) September 14, 2014"
Even with Mauk’s solid play, there’s room for improvement and Mauk’s probably no where near his ceiling. It’s hard to believe, with how well he’s played, that Mauk has still made only a handful of starts and is only a sophomore.
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That fact hasn’t been lost on Gary Pinkel, who has managed the QB by relying heavily on the running game being lead by Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough. Mauk has thrown the ball just 77 times, nearly a hundred times less than the two QB’s tied with him in TD passes.
"“Wait until he gets good… lot of things out there that he can do to improve and he knows that,” said Pinkel of his young QB after Missouri’s 38-10 victory over UCF."
The receivers have been great for Missouri, after early season worries after the departure of Dorial Green-Beckham, but the tight end position has been the real problem of the offense. Starting TE Sean Culkin has caught just three passes on the season has looked far less athletic than Tiger TE’s of the past. Culkin has had numerous drops as well and Saturday’s matchup against the Hoosiers may be an opportunity for he and Mauk to work on their chemistry.
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On defense, Missouri has been just as impressive as expected. Defensive ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden are both in the top 5 in the nation in sacks and have taken turns dominating the offensive line. Ray did so in the last game, being named the SEC defensive player of the week after making four tackles for a loss, two sacks, and forcing a fumble.
Golden did so in the Toledo game, constantly disrupting plays in the backfield, and may be in line to dominate Saturday if Ray is given extra attention.
With the Hoosiers being a run dominant team, however, Missouri defensive tackles Vincent Lucas and Josh Augusta may be the keys on defense. If Missouri is able to contain star running backs Tevin Coleman and D’Angelo Roberts, the Tigers should be able to run away from the Hoosiers and enter SEC play undefeated.