BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Bailey Fisher meant a lot to the Tennessee Tech football team this season as the true freshman tried to lead the Golden Eagle offense on the field.

 

He was recognized for his efforts on Tuesday as he was announced as the Ohio Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year, as well as selected to the league's All-Newcomer Team.

 

The all-conference teams and awards were selected by a vote between the league's coaches and sports information contacts.

 

He is the third Golden Eagle to be named the OVC's Freshman of the Year, joining Lee Sweeney (2006) and Tim Benford in 2008. Fisher is also the 19th Tech player to be named to the All-Newcomer Team, the first since 2016 when Yeedee Thaenrat, Michael Birdsong and Dontez Byrd were all selected.

 

Fisher ended the 2018 campaign with 1,681 yards and 11 touchdowns on 139-of-268 passing, with seven interceptions. He averaged 168.1 yards per game and 12.1 yards per completion. On the ground, he was Tech's No. 2 rusher, picking up 346 yards and two touchdowns on 106 carries, averaging 34.6 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

 

He led the Golden Eagles in total offense with 2,027 yards, averaging 202.7 yards per game.

 

Fisher played in just 10 games after an injury suffered against UT Martin sidelined him for the final game-and-a-half. Still, he ended up with the best season in program history for a true freshman quarterback, trailing just Sweeney's 2006 season as a redshirt against all freshmen QBs. Sweeney threw for 2,292 yards, 17 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in that season after transferring from a season at Louisville.

 

Fisher's best games were very impressive – against Eastern Illinois, the freshman threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns, then, on Homecoming against Murray State, Fisher threw for 248 yards and ran for 76 yards as he accounted for three touchdowns to end Tech's 11-game losing streak.

 

Following the completion of the FCS regular season, Fisher ended 81st in completion percentage (0.519), 59th in completions per game (13.9), 84th in passing efficiency (112.2), 79th in passing touchdowns (11), 65th in passing yards, 66th in passing yards per game, 55th in passing yards per completions, 123rd in points responsible for (78), 105th in points responsible for per game (7.8), 133rd in rushing yards per carry, 52nd in total offense and 82nd in yards per pass attempt.

 

Among FCS freshmen, Fisher was third in passing yards and total offense.

 

Fisher was also announced as a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, recognizing the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision, on Monday.

 

Southeast Missouri running back Marquis Terry and linebacker Zach Hall were named the offensive and defensive players of the year, while Redhawks head coach Tom Matukewicz was named the league's coach of the year.