Former Ankeny quarterback Jase Bauer has been named to the OVC-Big South all-conference second team after helping the University of Tennessee at Martin football team to a 6-6 record this season. The Skyhawks went 6-2 in league play to record the program’s 10th top-two finish in the conference standings during coach Jason Simpson’s tenure.
Joining the team as a fifth-year senior, Bauer won the starting job out of fall camp and never looked back. He ranked fifth nationally in completion percentage (71.2 percent) while connecting on 205-of-288 passing attempts for 2,005 yards and 10 touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback also added 129 carries for 460 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Bauer threw for a season-high 273 yards against UTEP while racking up a career-high four touchdowns (two rushing and two passing) against Southeast Missouri. The two-time OVC-Big South Offensive Player of the Week set a single-game record for passing percentage by going 15-of-16 (93.7 percent) on the road against Gardner-Webb.
Bauer closed out his college career on Nov. 22 by going 18-of-26 for 155 yards and a touchdown in the Skyhawks’ 20-17 loss at heavily-favored Tennessee Tech, which clinched its first outright conference championship in 50 years. He also ran for a score.
“I am proud of our kids,” Simpson said. “We had a chance to win that one. We played extremely physical on defense and competed on offense. I’m proud of how our kids bounced back this year, but I’m disappointed that I felt like we couldn’t get a break when we needed it.”