HOOVER, Ala. -- Maty Football?
Just a day after Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin conceded that "there's not going to be another Johnny Manziel," Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk wouldn't concede that point at all.
"I feel like I have the ability to do similar things, and that's what people are expecting of me back in Columbia (Mo.)," Mauk said Wednesday at SEC Media Days.
Yes, the rising sophomore went there.
In filling in for the injured James Franklin last season, Mauk certainly served notice that he could be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this fall. As a freshman, he led league wins over Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky, throwing 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Like Manziel, he also proved to be a dangerous threat on the run, rushing for 229 yards on just 41 carries in limited action.
Of course, Mauk isn't Manziel-good, and Mauk didn't say he was on the same level as Manziel. But for a guy who has started just a few games at the college level, he showed plenty of Manziel-like moxie in at least likening himself to the former Texas A&M star.
"The stuff he could do was unbelievable. People had never (seen) it. You're a freshman Heisman Trophy winner," Mauk said. "He could turn anything into a big play. That's what I liked about him, and that's why I watch him on film."
If Mauk looks anything at all like Manziel when the Tigers open the season against unsuspecting South Dakota State, it will be an awfully long day for the Jackrabbits.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
