By: Trevor Rowland

A new era of Missouri football has begun: the era of Drew Lock. This week the twittersphere exploded with news and rumors of starting quarterback Maty Mauk’s suspension. The official word is that Maty Mauk along with offensive lineman Malik Cuellar have been suspended for Saturday’s game due to a violation of team policies. No further information has been given as to what the two players did to violate team policies. This could have not happened at a better time.

Between the white lines, Mauk’s performance has been lackluster and marked by inconsistency. Although he is the third most experienced quarterback in the SEC, he does not play like a quarterback with such experience. Over four games Mauk has thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions and also has the fourth worst quarterback rating in the conference. Previously known for his erratic yet effective play style, Mauk has shown a striking lack of awareness in the pocket, missing many opportunities to throw to open receivers before either attempting to run or throwing a poorly thought out pass.

At the beginning of the season, expectations were high for Mauk to leave his inconsistency behind and play on a level that such depth of experience allows for. However, expectations have since come down drastically after such poor performances the first few games. During the UCONN game choruses of boos could be heard from the student section every time Mauk set foot on the field, coupled with shouts for Drew Lock to be put into the game.

Drew Lock has played on a level deserving of such praise. In the limited capacity that Lock has played, he’s averaged 9 yards an attempt with a significantly higher completion percentage and QBR than Maty Mauk. Now the starting quarterback, Lock finally has the chance to prove to the world that he has what it takes to captain an SEC offence. With Lock’s poise in the pocket showing experience beyond his years and an already impressive track record despite getting a limited amount of snaps, Drew Lock truly is a consistent quarterback that can put Mizzou back in the top 25. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Locktober.