Since his arrival at LSU, quarterback Matt Mauck has met strong criticism from the national media, but his experience behind center has allowed him to gain confidence and quiet the critics.
At the beginning of the 2002 football season, ESPN’s “College GameDay” analyst Lee Corso picked LSU to win the national title. His partner on the show, Kirk Herbstreit, looked over at him with a surprised look and asked, “Really? Even with Matt Mauck at quarterback?”
After a sluggish start at Virginia Tech and unimpressive numbers through the Tigers’ first five games last season, it almost seemed the critics were right.
But a year-and-a-half later, Mauck’s improvement is evident as he has quieted his critics and leads the Southeastern Conference with a 150.9 quarterback rating, while the Tigers have charged out to a 5-0 start. Most importantly for LSU, the Tigers are 10-1 with Mauck as their starting signal caller.
After the first five games last season, when it seemed the Tigers’ running game and defense would hold them close in every game, Mauck had his coming out party.
Mauck and the Tigers marched into Gainesville, Fla. and beat the Gators 36-7 in the hostile environment of “The Swamp.” Moreover, Mauck played arguably his best game as a Tiger up to that point, going 13-of-20 for 153 yards and two touchdowns and adding 67 rushing yards.
But in the fourth quarter of the game, Mauck injured his right foot and missed the remainder of the season. After a 5-1 start, the Tigers went 3-4 during their final seven games with Marcus Randall and Rick Clausen at quarterback and finished 8-5.
“I think we were headed in the right direction,” Mauck said. “I think maybe [my injury] caused a mix-up in personnel, and when you have new guys in the game, it’s hard to get used to that. It’s almost like starting the season over.”
Known as a jackrabbit quarterback, Mauck rehabilitated his foot throughout the offseason and came into LSU’s spring camp a different style quarterback. Instead of taking off for the run the first chance he gets, he plays a more patient style of game.
“I think the biggest improvement for me is the comfort and confidence,” Mauck said. “I think I finally feel comfortable dropping back, staying in the pocket and throwing the ball.”
Mauck said he feels more confident in the quarterback position today because of the experience he has had. As a redshirt freshman in 2001, Mauck was thrust into the SEC championship game against Tennessee and led the Tigers to a 31-20 come-from-behind win and earned Most Valuable Player honors.
“You can simulate almost everything in practice, except for game situations,” he said. “The more times you get a chance to go out there on the field, the better you become as a player, and the more comfortable you become in that environment.”
Offensive tackle Rodney Reed said Mauck used to worry about doing well and making sure he goes through all his assignments.
“But now he doesn’t worry about those things,” Reed said. “He knows what he’s supposed to do. And he’s out there in practice helping the other quarterbacks, and he’s more vocal. He’s been able to progress a lot since last year.”
LSU coach Nick Saban credited Mauck’s maturity and character with his improvement. Mauck, 24, is one of the oldest players on the team and he spent three seasons in professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs’ organization.
“I think he’s a very goal-oriented guy,” Saban said. “Which is not totally typical for young people this day in age. He knows what he wants to do, he’s very focused on it and he works hard to try to get it done.”
After the criticism he faced early in his career, Mauck is now reaping the benefits of his hard work, as far as the media is concerned. Just two weeks ago, a reputable football Web site, www.collegefootballnews.com, rated him as the No. 8 player on its Heisman Trophy watch.
All the while, Mauck said it is fun being the quarterback of LSU.
“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “But I’ve really enjoyed being in this position. [The only negative thing is] it takes longer to go out and eat because you have to talk to a lot of people.”
And although the cliché stigma of a quarterback is to be arrogant and self-absorbed, his teammates said he does not fit the persona.
“Matt is none of those things,” said safety Jack Hunt. “He’s a real nice guy. He knows everybody real well, goes around and asks everyone how they’re doing.”
Even though Mauck has tasted the successes of a winning quarterback in the SEC, teammates said it has not changed his personality.
“The only difference I see is that he’s a little more confident on the field,” Hunt said. “He’s a little more cocky on the field, and I think that’s a good thing. Off the field, he’s the same old Matt. He’s goofy, and he jokes around a lot.”
The first time he stepped on the field in a game situation was against Florida two years ago after Rohan Davey went out with an injury. The Tigers lost the game 44-15.
But Mauck is 1-0 as a starter against Florida, and he feels he has come a long way since that first game. And Saban said he is not surprised with Mauck’s progression at quarterback.
“You’d love to have a whole team full of guys like that,” Saban said. “But I don’t think it’s totally normal to be committed to the standard of excellence that he is. But that’s what you’d like everybody to be.”