By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the next game day approaches for the Tennessee Tech football team, another organization has recognized a Golden Eagle for their efforts.
The Tennessee Sports Writers Association selected Tech sophomore quarterback Bailey Fisher as its Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, his second selection this season.
The sophomore out of Rabun County (Ga.) High had 404 yards of total offense and five touchdowns – three rushing and two passing -- in the Golden Eagles' 38-24 win Saturday at Western Illinois, Tech's first non-conference road win since 2013 and giving the Golden Eagles their first 3-1 start since 2011.
Fisher was 23-for-37 passing, completing touchdown passes of 31 yards to Darrius Stafford and 17 yards to Tavin Kilpatrick. He also rushed 13 times for 90 yards, including touchdown runs of six, one and 26 yards, the final one securing the victory.
The Tech sophomore also shared the Ohio Valley Conference's Offensive Player of the Week award this week with Jacksonville State receiver Josh Pearson. Fisher was also the College Sports Madness FCS Offensive Player of the Week and an honorable mention for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week.
Through four games, he has completed 74 of his 118 passes for 979 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 244.8 yards per game. If he continues that pace, he could finish 2019 with over 2,900 yards, which would best Michael Birdsong's single-season record of 2,577 in 2016.
Fisher has also rushed for 120 yards and seven touchdowns, putting him among the NCAA's leaders in rushing scores. Fisher has 1,099 yards of total offense, averaging 274.8 per game, putting him on pace for nearly 3,300 yards of total offense, if the pace continues at its rate. Birdsong also holds the single-season record in total offense with 2,803.
It's definitely something to watch, but Fisher also has some pretty tough defenses ahead in conference play.
One thing that is for sure is that Fisher is about to enter the career top 10s in both passing and total offense, even as soon as this weekend, just the 15th game in his career. He currently has 2,660 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns. The yardage total puts him 94 yards away from passing Darian Stone for 10th. Fisher also has 3,126 yards of total offense -- with 466 rushing hards and nine rushing scores -- which puts him 71 yards away from passing Andre Caballero for 10th in total offense.
The Golden Eagles open OVC play this weekend as they travel to Eastern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game is also the ESPN3 OVC Game of the Week with Kevin Ingram and Bob Belvin.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
