Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBowling Green's Barnes on pace to break NCAA receptions record
By Brett LoGiurato
Posted: 10/19/09, 11:57 PM EST Section: Sports
Before the Bowling Green game on Oct. 10 at Kent State, senior wide receiver Freddie Barnes was feeling pretty good.
Barnes joked with his teammates and stayed loose, even dancing to the warm-up music in the stadium: the Black Eyed Peas' hit song, "I Gotta Feeling." Little did Barnes know that the good feeling was a precursor to the game of his life.
Call it a Catch-22: Barnes caught 22 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, coming one reception shy of the NCAA single-game record.
"When I found out, I couldn't believe it," Barnes said. "I thought I was close to 20 catches, and then I was going through my phone and saw a text from my mom saying it was 22."
Barnes may not have notched the single-game reception record, but he has his eye on a bigger prize: the single-season receptions record. After Saturday's 10-catch, three-touchdown performance in a 31-17 win over Ball State, Barnes extended his nation-leading numbers to 85 receptions and 882 yards. He is also tied for the Division-I lead with eight touchdowns.
Barnes currently holds a 31-catch lead over his closest competitors. Already surpassing his career-high total of 82 receptions, he is on track to break Houston receiver Manny Hazard's 20-year-old reception record of 142.
"I can't just come out and say I'm going to catch 150 balls this year," Barnes said. "But it's definitely an honor to be mentioned in the same breath. If it happens, it'll be amazing."
Barnes came back to Bowling Green for a fifth season that he envisioned as redemption from a disappointing 2008 campaign limited by injuries.
Slowed down by a Grade 3 ACL sprain, Barnes only caught 41 passes last year - his fewest since he came into the school as a quarterback.
Initially expected to continue as the next signal-caller at Bowling Green and become the next Omar Jacobs or Josh Harris, Barnes has instead carved his own place in university lore.
"It's always about the team first," Falcons coach Dave Clawson said. "But I can certainly say what Freddie is doing is helping our team."
Barnes joked with his teammates and stayed loose, even dancing to the warm-up music in the stadium: the Black Eyed Peas' hit song, "I Gotta Feeling." Little did Barnes know that the good feeling was a precursor to the game of his life.
Call it a Catch-22: Barnes caught 22 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, coming one reception shy of the NCAA single-game record.
"When I found out, I couldn't believe it," Barnes said. "I thought I was close to 20 catches, and then I was going through my phone and saw a text from my mom saying it was 22."
Barnes may not have notched the single-game reception record, but he has his eye on a bigger prize: the single-season receptions record. After Saturday's 10-catch, three-touchdown performance in a 31-17 win over Ball State, Barnes extended his nation-leading numbers to 85 receptions and 882 yards. He is also tied for the Division-I lead with eight touchdowns.
Barnes currently holds a 31-catch lead over his closest competitors. Already surpassing his career-high total of 82 receptions, he is on track to break Houston receiver Manny Hazard's 20-year-old reception record of 142.
"I can't just come out and say I'm going to catch 150 balls this year," Barnes said. "But it's definitely an honor to be mentioned in the same breath. If it happens, it'll be amazing."
Barnes came back to Bowling Green for a fifth season that he envisioned as redemption from a disappointing 2008 campaign limited by injuries.
Slowed down by a Grade 3 ACL sprain, Barnes only caught 41 passes last year - his fewest since he came into the school as a quarterback.
Initially expected to continue as the next signal-caller at Bowling Green and become the next Omar Jacobs or Josh Harris, Barnes has instead carved his own place in university lore.
"It's always about the team first," Falcons coach Dave Clawson said. "But I can certainly say what Freddie is doing is helping our team."
Be the first to comment on this story