After throwing his first two interceptions against Georgia, sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk said he knew he had to get things rolling.

_No more turnovers,_ he thought, _we have to hold on to the ball._

After a couple more, he said he started to get a little flustered. He dug himself into a hole. And, at a certain point, he said he realized he needed to have a successful drive and put points on the board however he could.

He never did.

Mauk’s five turnovers were a large reason why the Tigers fell to Georgia 34-0 and an even bigger reason for the offense’s goose egg on the scoreboard.

“When you finally get the ball rolling and you can’t even get in field goal range, it’s embarrassing, and it ticks you off,” senior receiver Bud Sasser said. “We know we have so much more than what we’re actually showcasing. We’re just trying to figure out why it’s not all coming out of us.”

Following Mauk’s performance, fans took to social media to let the Tigers’ quarterback know how they felt about his play. But Mauk managed to tune out the overtures for a replacement and focused instead on his own game.

“That’s why coaches are on the sidelines and (fans) are up in the stands,” he said. “Coach (Gary) Pinkel knows what he’s doing and I don’t think it crossed his mind. I just have to go out there and execute. That’s all it is.”

And Mauk wasted no time getting back to the drawing board. Just hours after the game, he gathered with his teammates to hash out any issues on the field and get back to executing the way they should.

“We have to put in extra time to get that together,” Mauk said.

Mauk said his receivers were at Devine Pavillion at 2 a.m. Sunday, working to get back on track.

Senior offensive tackle Mitch Morse said he continues to trust his quarterback, despite his failings Saturday.

“Nothing has been disparaging,” Morse said. “There have been no remarks between us. This is a pivotal moment in our season where we can either digress or we can come together and lean on each other.”

Even with a poor performance this past week, Pinkel still maintains Mauk is his quarterback. All he really wants is for Mauk to believe in himself and keep persevering.

“We believe he can do it. We’ve seen him do it on big stages,” Pinkel said. “He’s just going through some tough times, and he certainly takes responsibility. He’s a good player, and he has my support.”