Missouri Tigers Football: Maty Mauk Suspended for South Carolina Game

The Missouri Tigers have announced that Maty Mauk has been suspended for the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend. The team will evaluate his status after the game, so apparently Mauk may miss more than one game. A source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it's not related to legal problems.

The quarterback job now falls to true freshman Drew Lock, who has played at least one series in each game so far in regular appearances planned by Mizzou's coaches. Lock has a stronger arm than Mauk does, and in his limited play so far, he has completed a higher percentage of passes (60%, versus 51.1% for Mauk) for a better average (9.0 YPA, versus 5.95).

If Lock improves the passing attack, it will be needed to offset losses in the run game. Mauk is the only Tiger averaging at least four yards per carry at 4.0 even, although that's before you take out sacks that would push that number higher. Lock is not as fast or elusive as Mauk is, and he's probably going to take some sacks as a result that Mauk wouldn't have.

South Carolina's defense has been poor again this year, so it's not a bad spot to throw Lock in to see what he can do. It's unfortunate that such a move came due to a suspension rather than Lock earning the job outright for himself.