BOWLING GREEN — Consistent production has catapulted Bowling Green State University quarterback Connor Bazelak to the top of the Mid-American Conference in a couple significant categories this season.

The sixth-year senior has made a lot of right decisions that have enabled him to perform at a level that BGSU coach Scot Loeffler called “lights out.”

“I think I’ve just tried to think about doing my job, not trying to do anything special out on the field,” Bazelak said. “I know coach Loeffler always talks about just going from one to two to three, four, and throwing to the first open guy I see.

“So that’s what I’ve tried to do, and off schedule-wise when things break down, then I’m making plays, letting my talent take over, and I think I’m doing a good job of that when we’ve seen so much drop eight stuff the past two weeks.”

After throwing for 268 yards while completing a season-high 80 percent (24 of 30) of his passes in BGSU’s 27-20 Mid-American Conference win at Akron on Saturday, Bazelak became the league’s passing leader this season at 1,243 yards. That mark ranks 42nd in the FBS, while his 68.1 completion percentage ranks second in the MAC and 25th nationally.

Bazelak has found the right receiver more often than not so far this year. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal caller has extended plays with his legs and has been efficient all over the field as well.

With the exception of four fourth-quarter interceptions and a handful of plays that have resulted in sacks, Bazelak has been flawless in putting BGSU (2-3, 1-0) in winnable positions every game.

“I think he’s done a wonderful job in the offseason making sure that he knows the offense like the coaches,” Loeffler said. “Any time that you have that type of feel for the system, you’re going to play well. And traditionally, in this system, everyone plays better in Year 2, and then in Year 3, you normally dominate.

“He’s an older guy, so he’s playing at a very, very high level right now in Year 2.”

Bazelak has surpassed 250 passing yards in each of the past four games, which is the second-best stretch in his career after reaching that mark in five straight games at Missouri to start the 2021 campaign. He has racked up at least 20 completions in each of the past four games as well; his 111 completions this season rank second in the MAC, and his 22.2 completions per game are tied for 20th in the country.

“I think he’s the best quarterback in the MAC, to be honest,” BGSU senior running back Jaison Patterson said after the win at Akron. “This week, he’s been controlling the offense. He’s been trying to keep everybody level-headed, and this game, he just stayed calm throughout the entire game.

“It obviously shows, but he’s definitely a leader on this team. He picks everybody up, makes sure everybody’s head is in the game.”

A couple of key areas that have helped Bazelak and his teammates excel have been when he has had to improvise, as well as on third and fourth downs. Both came in handy on Saturday.

BGSU scored 13 points off three drives that started inside its own 10-yard line. Facing second-and-10 from the 2 midway through the third quarter, Bazelak scrambled away from pressure, avoided going out of the back of the end zone, and found 6-5 wide receiver Finn Hogan for an 8-yard completion.

On third-and-6 from the 30, Bazelak made a nice throw on the run to Hogan, who corralled the deep pass for a 33-yard gain. The Falcons capped off the drive with a 31-yard field goal from Jackson Kleather on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 20-10 lead.

“Connor’s been great just extending plays all year and stuff like that, getting out of the pocket, finding guys. We’ve been really pressing scramble rules and getting open when he gets out of the pocket and stuff like that, so he’s doing an unbelievable job of just keeping plays alive,” Hogan said. “Our job’s just to go find some space, and he’ll get the ball to us.

“So he’s a stud right now, and in my opinion, he’s the best quarterback in the MAC. He’s leading us big time.”

The Falcons’ ability to convert third and fourth downs has been beneficial as well. BGSU’s 46.2 percent third down conversion rate — significantly higher than its season rates from the previous five seasons under Loeffler — rank second in the MAC and 35th in the FBS. The Falcons are also 5 of 7 (71.4 percent) on fourth downs, ranking tied for second in the league with Northern Illinois and tied for 21st overall.

BGSU converted four third downs in a 16-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a Kleather field goal in the second quarter. On their game-winning drive, the Falcons were 1 of 2 on third down and picked up the biggest fourth down conversion of the season when star tight end Harold Fannin, Jr., ran for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:39 left to give BGSU a seven-point advantage.

The average distance of BGSU’s third downs against Akron was 5.6 yards. The Falcons converted 7 of 14 third downs, making it the fourth time this season that they have been at least 50 percent in that category.

“It’s critical when you look at that stat, they should really have every third and short, third and medium, third and long, because it’s all about first and second down, getting yourself in a manageable third down position,” Bazelak said. “If you’re in third and eight, nine, 10-plus the whole game, you’ve got no shot, so it’s really all about first and second down.

“All offseason, we emphasized third down. We knew we weren’t as good as we wanted to be in that stat last year (33.1 percent), so we focused a bunch on it in training camp in the offseason. So coaches have done a great job game planning for third downs and putting us in positions to succeed.”

First Published October 7, 2024, 9:31 p.m.