HOOVER, Ala. – The mood surrounding the Missouri football team at the 2014 Southeastern Conference Media Days on Wednesday was undeniably different.
Coach Gary Pinkel no longer had to field questions about how the Tigers could possibly compete in the SEC. They proved it last season with a 12-2 record and an SEC East title in just their second year in the conference.
The media picked Missouri to finish second-to-last in the East division at last year’s Media Days, but Pinkel said he took no vindication in proving doubters wrong.
“I don’t get into what’s said or what’s predicted,” Pinkel said. “Someone apologized to me a little while ago about the way they voted after this thing. I said, ‘I don’t know how you voted for us, and I really don’t care.’”
Despite the Tigers’ run the SEC title game last year, South Carolina and Georgia are favored to win the division in 2014. Players said they’re still striving to prove Missouri’s staying power as a title contender, but it’s a little more personal for senior defensive end Markus Golden.
“Me being from St. Louis and being from Missouri, if we lose any games, I’ve got to hear about it when I go back home,” Golden said. “I’m ready to show everyone that Mizzou competes, too, and that we’ve got good football in the Midwest.”

But Missouri’s path back to the division crown will be a rocky one after losing 15 starters from last year’s squad. The Tigers will have to do it without their quarterback, leading rusher and top three receivers from 2013, but Pinkel is convinced the offense is in good hands.
Pinkel raved about sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk, whose teammates compared him to former Texas A&M signal-caller and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Mauk played in 13 games last season and made four starts in place of injured starter James Franklin.
He threw for 1,071 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions and added another 229 rushing yards. Pinkel called Mauk a “natural leader,” and Golden noted the sophomore has been more vocal in the huddle.
Missouri’s fortunes may hinge on how well Mauk adjusts to the starting role, but junior center Evan Boehm isn’t concerned about his quarterback.
“Maty Mauk has surprised everybody every week with a different thing, different techniques, something you’ve never seen from Maty,” Boehm said. “Whether good or bad. I’m not saying it’s going to be 100 percent every time, but I feel like Maty will surprise you every week with something he does.”
Mauk will be working with an unproven group of receivers after Marcus Lucas and L’Damian Washington graduated and sophomore superstar Dorial Green-Beckham’s dismissal from the team in April. The Tigers’ top four returning receivers accounted for less than 25 percent of the team’s completions last season.
However, those numbers don’t worry Mauk.
“I look at Darius White, and I see one of the top recruits in the nation,” Mauk said. “I know I can throw it to him and expect him to catch it every time. Bud Sasser is somebody I’ve been playing with that I love. He runs tremendous routes. And then Jimmie Hunt, and inside guy that’s quick and fast.”
Missouri also lost six defensive starters, most notably defensive ends Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, who combined for 33.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks. Golden recorded 6.5 sacks as a backup last season and is the frontrunner to replace Sam and Ealy, but Pinkel stressed depth on the defensive line as the key for maintaining a fearsome defensive front.
That significant turnover has the Tigers once again facing an uphill battle in the SEC. But if Missouri sticks to the formula that catalyzed its breakout 2013 season, a division title may not be so hard to imagine.
“It’s a mix of confidence, getting comfortable and just believing in yourself,” Golden said. “In the first year we had a bunch of injuries, but last year we were healthy, so it’s about being healthy and competing. At Mizzou, we believe we can compete against anyone, and last year that’s what we were able to do. We’re going to try and do the same thing this year.”