| Bowling Green Falcons – No. 7 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  Senior |
| Major | Liberal studies |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (2000-09-22)September 22, 2000 (age 24) Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Archbishop Alter (Kettering, Ohio) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Connor Bazelak (born September 22, 2000) is an Americancollege footballquarterback for theBowling Green Falcons. He previously played for theMissouri Tigers and theIndiana Hoosiers.
Bazelak grew up inDayton, Ohio and attendedArchbishop Alter High School, where he played basketball and football.[1] As a senior, he passed for over 1,500 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions in atriple option offense out of thewishbone formation.[2][3] Bazelak committed to play college football at Missouri over offers from Georgia, Purdue, North Carolina State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.[4]
Bazelak played in three games as a true freshman, allowing him to use a redshirt and maintain an extra season of NCAA eligibility. He started the final game of the season against Arkansas, but tore his ACL midway through the game.[5] Bazelak completed 15 of 21 passes for 144 yards in his true freshman season.[6]
Bazelak took over at quarterback in each of the Tigers' first two games of his redshirt freshman season before being named the team's starter.[7] Bazelak completed 218 of 324 passes for 2,366 yards and seven touchdowns with six interceptions and was named the SEC co-Freshman of the Year.[8] Bazelak was named to the watchlist for theDavey O'Brien Award going into his redshirt sophomore season.[9][10] He ended his 2021 season appearing in 11 games with 2,548 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.[11]
On January 6, 2022, Bazelak announced he would be transferring to play for theIndiana Hoosiers.[12]
In week 1, Bazelak threw a game winning touchdown pass with under thirty seconds remaining in the 23–20 victory againstIllinois. He became the first Indiana quarterback to pass for 300 yards in a debut sinceAntwaan Randle El in 1998.[13] In week 3, he threw for a season high 364 yards on 33–55 attempts and two touchdowns againstWestern Kentucky. On September 24, Bazelak set an Indiana record with 66 pass attempts againstCincinnati. For theHoosiers, Bazelak appeared in 10 games with nine starts. On the season, he completed 235-of-426 passes for 2,312 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
On November 29. 2022, Bazelak announced his decision to enter the transfer portal again.[14]
On January 13, 2023, Bazelak announced via his personal Twitter that he would be transferring to play for theBowling Green Falcons.[15]
In his first start with the Falcons, he threw three interceptions in a loss againstLiberty. The Following week against Eastern Illinois he started the game 12-of-12 passing for 163 yards and one touchdown before his first incompletion, helping lead the Falcons to victory.[16] He missed the following game againstMichigan with a leg injury.[17] On September 30, Bazelek led the Falcons to a 38–27 upset victory againstGeorgia Tech where he threw his 40th career touchdown pass. AgainstMinnesota in theQuick Lane Bowl, Bazelak completed 21 passes on 36 attempts for 221 yards and a score while also rushing for a touchdown. Bazelak finished the 2023 season throwing for 1,935 yards and recording 14 total touchdowns.
On December 6, Bazelak announced on his personal Instagram page that he would use his final year of eligibility to return to Bowling Green with hopes of winning aMAC Championship.[18]
In week two, Bazelak threw his 50th collegiate touchdown pass in a near upset againstPenn State.[19] Bazelak surpassed 10,000 career passing yards when he threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns in a loss against Old Dominion.[20] In week seven againstNorthern Illinois Bazelak became the 41st player inFBS history with 1,000 career completions.[21] The following week againstKent State, Bazelak threw for a season high 313 yards and was 23-of-27 passing. His completion percentage of 85.2 set a single game program record for a quarterback with 20 plus attempts.[22]
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Missouri Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | 1–0 | 15 | 21 | 71.4 | 144 | 6.9 | 0 | 0 | 129.0 | 7 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 8 | 5–3 | 218 | 324 | 67.3 | 2,366 | 7.3 | 7 | 6 | 132.1 | 44 | 20 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 2021 | 11 | 11 | 6–5 | 246 | 377 | 65.3 | 2,548 | 6.8 | 16 | 11 | 130.2 | 33 | −23 | −0.7 | 0 |
| Indiana Hoosiers | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 10 | 9 | 3–6 | 235 | 426 | 55.2 | 2,312 | 5.4 | 13 | 10 | 106.1 | 47 | −160 | −3.4 | 1 |
| Bowling Green Falcons | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 11 | 11 | 6–5 | 168 | 278 | 60.6 | 1,935 | 7.0 | 12 | 7 | 128.1 | 44 | −82 | −1.9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 13 | 13 | 7–6 | 269 | 402 | 66.9 | 3,044 | 7.6 | 18 | 5 | 142.8 | 48 | −91 | −1.9 | 2 |
| Career | 58 | 53 | 28–25 | 1,151 | 1,828 | 63.0 | 12,349 | 6.8 | 66 | 39 | 127.4 | 223 | −334 | −1.5 | 7 |
Bazelak's father, Len Bazelak, playedcollege basketball atDartmouth and holds the school's record for careerthree-point percentage.[23]