Missouri to be without its top quarterback vs. Gamecocks

There’s a lack of experience, but Drew Lock will play the game at home in front of an adoring crowd. Who knows? He might play better than the guy before him.

In addition to Mauk’s suspension, the school also announced that offensive tackle Malik Cuellar has been suspended.

Mauk has been at the center of a growing quarterback controversy because of recent shaky play. “They may be a little bit more of a drop-back type team with him instead of out of the pocket running around with their quarterback. We’ll just do what we do”. Most teams don’t really change their offenses all that much when they change their quarterbacks. But the one they are going to play now is an excellent passer from the pocket. “Only time will tell”.

Mauk didn’t converse to media Monday as a result of he was coping with a household problem.

Mauk is 57-of-110 for six touchdowns and four interceptions this season. I’ve coached a lot of quarterbacks, a few with great speed, and a few that don’t run well at all. “I think he’ll do well”. When he does return, it’s not certain if he’ll get his starting spot back.

“I think to say that it doesn’t affect him – I mean, it affects me. We’ll do that the same way”.

Knighten practiced Tuesday for the first time since pulling a groin muscle in the third quarter of a September 12 loss to Missouri, but offensive coordinator Walt Bell suggested after practice that the injury hasn’t healed well enough to return and that freshman James Tabary will start against Idaho at 6 p.m. Saturday in Jonesboro.

USC, perhaps, knows better than anybody the highs and lows of starting an untested quarterback.

Losing an experienced starter ahead of a conference game is usually bad news. Like today, I for sure texted him and said, ‘My family’s thinking about you.

Neither player will be available for Saturday’s game against South Carolina and their status going forward will be evaluated afterward. According to the Kansas City Star, he had been away from the team Monday to be with his father Mike, who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer.

Mauk has been suspended for Saturday’s game against South Carolina for “disciplinary reasons”, Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Pinkel compared the decision to suspend Mauk to his 2012 suspension of star defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, who missed a game for “an academic issue”. We don’t do that. We have rules we abide by. We’re all here thinking about here and praying for you’.