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Connor Bazelak to start for Mizzou Tigers against Arkansas

By Thomas Huitt-Johnson

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Bary Odom of the Missouri Tigers directs his team against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Bary Odom of the Missouri Tigers directs his team against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Connor Bazelak is making his first start for the Mizzou Tigers in the final game of the season.

Freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak is making his first start for the Mizzou Tigers.

QB Kelly Bryant has a knee injury and a hamstring injury and is not expected to play in the final game of the year.

Bazelak was a four-star recruit, No. 210 in the nation, and the No. 10 quarterback according to ESPN.

The freshman out of Dayton, Ohio, came in and took Mizzou down field against Georgia, his only time throwing the football this season. Bazelak also played against SEMO earlier this year, but he did not record a statistic.

Bazelak wa 8 of 12 passing for 64 yards, and completed multiple third downs to help lead Missouri to the goal line. But the freshman couldn’t get Mizzou into the end zone, and the Tigers elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal. Mizzou was down 27-0 against Georgia and Bazelak entered the game on the final drive in place of then starter Taylor Powell.

Arkansas also is starting a freshman in today’s game in Jack Lindsey.

For Bryant, the senior was injured for the better part of the second half of the year. He will enter the NFL Draft after this season and needs to get healthy in order to show scouts his skills. The Tigers are not bowl eligible after the NCAA infractions committee decided to deny the Tigers’ appeal.

Bazelak is expected to compete against Shawn Robinson next season for the starting job in CoMo. A good showing today is a head start on the job for 2020.

In the old days, this would have costed Bazelak a redshirt, but because the rule change last season, he still will have four years of eligibility left. This is Bazelak’s third game.

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