Connor Bazelak Emerges as Starting Quarterback for Indiana Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Connor Bazelak started at quarterback for Indiana in its season opener against Illinois on Friday.
Bazelak took snaps from starting center Zach Carpenter when the Hoosiers first took the field in full pads, he continued to run the first-team offense during warmups and when Indiana took the field for its first offensive possession, Bazelak emerged as the starter.
Through the first half against Illinois, Bazelak has completed 11-of-24 pass attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown. His first completion was a 40-yard gain to Cam Camper, and he connected with D.J. Matthews for a 52-yard score in the second quarter.
Indiana represents a chance for a fresh start for Bazelak after three years at Missouri.
"I love it here," Bazelak said. "The players have been awesome, super welcoming this spring, and can't say enough about coach Allen. He's an unbelievable coach, man and leader, and coach [Walt] Bell has been great. Just the hospitality has been awesome, and I think it's been a great fit for me."
Bazelak transferred from Missouri to Indiana this offseason, and entered a quarterback competition with Jack Tuttle.
In 2019, Bazelak appeared in three games for the Tigers, including his first career start in the season finale at Arkansas when he completed 7-of-9 passes for 80 yards. Bazelak tore his ACL in the first half against Arkansas and took a redshirt year for the 2019 season.
In 2020, Bazelak was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year by the coaches after throwing for 2,366 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. He completed 67.3 percent of passes that year and also rushed for two touchdowns.
In 2021, Bazelak started 11 games for Mizzou, throwing for over 300 yards three times. Overall, he threw for 2,548 yards, completing 246-of-377 attempts with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
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