Missouri QB Maty Mauk: I can model my game after Johnny Manziel
By Jack Crosby
Maty Mauk did a fairly good job last season as the quarterback of the Missouri Tigers as a freshman when he had to fill in for the injured James Franklin. When he was at the helm late in the season, the Tigers went 3-1 and Mauk was as effective as can be, throwing for 910 yards with 10 touchdowns.
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This season, the show is all his as he will be the definitive man under center for the defending SEC East champions. Which now begs the question: How can he make himself even better than he was last season?
Well a good start, on the field at least, is to model your game after Johnny Manziel, which Mauk admitted at SEC Media Days on Wednesday that he would like to do.
“He’s somebody that I want to — not necessarily be like — but I can model my game after him,” Mauk said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday, according to USA Today. “He can change a game so quick by being able to make plays, and that’s something I feel like I can do and something I have to do.”
We know that Mauk can throw, but can he also lead his team with his legs when needed, like Manziel did better than anyone else the past few years? He seems to think so.
“I can run, too. I think I put a dual-threat in there… that’s what people don’t know,” Mauk said.
After their accomplishments last season, winning the division, there is a lot on Mauk’s shoulders. But if he can handle the pressure as well as Manziel did, then he and the Tigers will be alright.