College Receiver Trying to Catch a Dream

With this appearing to be the year of non-traditional powers in college football working their way into the national title debate, a receiver from the Mid American Conference has worked his way into consideration as the best wide receiver in the collegiate game.

Bowling Green State University's Freddie Barnes has been named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given the last 17 years to college football's best wide receiver. Barnes, a senior for the Falcons, was not even named on the preseason watch list for the award, which included 37 names.

While Barnes may not face the same type of competition week in and week out that some of the receivers at powerhouse programs may face, his statistics and off season work are hard to deny.

Barnes currently leads all receivers in the Football Bowl Subdivision in receptions (107), yards (1,176) and has the lead in touchdowns (10). Going into this weekend's action, he also leads in yards per game and receptions per game.

Barnes and his Falcons played Nov. 3, and it was Barnes who caught an 18-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds left to lift Bowling Green to a come from behind victory over MAC opponent Buffalo. That made for the sixth game this year to date that Barnes went over the 100-yard mark in a game, with four of those being over 150 yards, including one game 278 yards.

His next closest competitor in the yardage department, Greg Salas of Hawaii, has five games of 100 yards or more, but two of those were the first two games of the season (180 and 195 yards). Since that second game, his highest yardage game was 122 yards. Barnes has had two three-touchdown games.

Barnes' 11 touchdowns have him tied for 11^th in college football. Joining Barnes in 11^th place are fellow Biletnikoff finalist Golden Tate of Notre Dame and Heisman hopeful, Alabama running back Mark Ingram.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant was the media favorite in the preseason to win the award, but his suspension for lying to NCAA officials has ended his season and his chance to win the award.

The knock on Barnes, of course, will be the lack of top competition. The MAC is considered a mid-level conference, but it has shown flashes against bigger conferences in the past. When Marshal was a member of the MAC, Randy Moss won the Biletnikoff in 1997. Marcus Harris of the University of Wyoming won the award in 1996.

This year, Bowling Green has played Troy, Missouri and Boise State out of conference. Barnes had 157 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Troy, but was held to 70 yards and no touchdowns against Missouri and 24 yards and no touchdowns against Boise State, both losses.

Barnes' incredible season comes after a junior year in which he had only 364 yards and no touchdowns. That could lead one to conclude this year is a fluke, except the year before, as a sophomore, he had 962 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year was clearly the fluke.

As expected, Barnes faces more than a few formidable obstacles to winning the award. The other finalists include Dezmon Briscoe of Kansas, Eric Decker of Minnesota, Marshwan Gilyard of Cincinnati, AJ Green of Georgia, Jordan Shipley of Texas and Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech.

Also standing in Barnes' way is the fact his Falcons get very little national exposure. However, an upcoming game against archrival Toledo in the I-75 Rivalry could get picked up by the ESPN network of channels and get Barnes some attention. If Barnes can make it into the top three on Nov. 19, that game will be played a week later and just seven days before the winner is named on Dec. 4.

The winner the last two years was Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech University, while other past winners include Calvin Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Larry Fitzgerald and Terry Glenn.

Sources:

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=67814&draftyear=2010&genpos=WR>

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=170533>

http://www.footballboards.com/college-football-forum/18233-2009-biletnikoff-watch-list.html>

http://www.biletnikoffaward.com/

http://espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=184070

http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/team/_/stat/receiving/sort/totalTouchdowns