Missouri’s Bazelak earns National Quarterback of the Week honor

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Davey O’Brien Foundation has announced that Missouri redshirt freshman Connor Bazelak has been voted the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week for week six.

Making his second career start and his first of 2020, Bazelak threw nearly as many touchdown passes (4) as incompletions (5) as Missouri defeated No. 17 LSU, 45-41, for its first win over a defending national champion since 1978. Bazelak finished the day 29-for-34 passing for 406 yards with the four scores against no interceptions. His completion percentage (85.3) was the best against an FBS opponent in school history.

Bazelak’s passer rating of 242.4 ranked sixth in program history and was the best by a Mizzou quarterback ever in an Southeastern Conference game. For his efforts, he was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week. Bazelak is the first Missouri quarterback ever to claim the weekly honor from the Davey O’Brien Foundation.

The remaining quarterbacks on this week’s Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 list were: Georgia junior Stetson Bennett, sophomore Sam Howell of North Carolina, Alabama junior Mac Jones, sophomore Phil Jurkovec of Boston College, Clemson junior Trevor Lawrence, senior Kellen Mond of Texas A&M and Troy sophomore Gunnar Watson.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. Over its time, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $1 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.

In 1938, O’Brien, who was a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

Week 1: Brady White, Memphis

Week 2: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Week 3: Dillon Gabriel, UCF

Week 4: K.J. Costello, Mississippi State

Week 5: Shane Buechele, SMU

Week 6: Connor Bazelak, Missouri