Mauk Named Starter
CINCINNATI— Ben Mauk has been named the starting quarterback for the University of Cincinnati football team. Head coach Brian Kelly made the announcement prior to practice on Sunday (Aug. 26), four days prior to the Bearcats' 2007 season opener against Southeast Missouri State.
Mauk who transferred from Wake Forest is a 5th year senior and he has been in a fierce battle all summer long with Dustin Grutza, Tony Pike and Craig Careyfor the starting quarterback position.
Advertisement
Even though Mauk is scheduled to start against Southeast Missouri on Thursday it is expected that all 4 quarterbacks will see some playing time before the night is over.
A native of Kenton, Ohio, Mauk was Wake Forest's starting quarterback in 2006 until suffering an injury in the team's season-opening win over Syracuse.
In his Wake Forest career, Mauk played in 18 games and drew 10 starting assignments. In parts of three seasons, Mauk completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,522 yards and four touchdowns. His first collegiate pass was an 85-yard touchdown strike in the 2004 season opener at Clemson. It tied the school record for the longest touchdown pass.
At Kenton High School, Mauk set three national career passing records in completions (1,105), attempts (1,931) and yards (17,534) and was second with 179 career passing touchdowns. He set national records with 6,540 passing yards and 76 touchdowns through the air his senior season. Mauk was Gatorade's 2002 State of Ohio Football Player of the Year and led the Wildcats to back-to-back state championships.
The Bearcats kick off the 2007 season on Thursday night, Aug. 30, when they host Southeast Missouri State. Kick off from Nippert Stadium is set for 7 p.m.