If the Falcon football team were ever to get together with their coach and play a friendly game of football on the intramural fields, Dave Clawson knows what player he’d want when teams were getting divided up.
‘If I was playing backyard football, I’d want Freddie [Barnes] on my team,’ Clawson said.
And why not? It’s not like he’s a reliable target or anything like that.
The senior receiver has pretty much led the nation in receptions the entire season, creating a consistent, reliable target for senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan for the first time in his career, which has helped bolster his stats as well.
Fresh off a 22-catch, 278-yard performance against Kent State Saturday, the current Mid-American Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Week is now gaining national attention because he leads the nation with 75 receptions and 772 yards. That’s a lot better than two games ago against Ohio when he looked like BG’s own Terrell Owens after dropping a potential game-tying catch.
It was a nice change of pace for BG’s barn burner – who was averaging just 8.3 yards on his 53 receptions before the game – as he seemingly became BG’s own Jerry Rice.
‘Last week I let us down, so this week I felt like I had to step it up,’ Barnes said after the game.
And step up he did, breaking his own school record for receptions in a game and setting a new school record for receiving yards in a game, breaking Robert Redd’s record of 215 yards from 2001.
‘Twenty-two catches and 278 yards, I’ve never seen numbers like that, and it’s not like people don’t know we’re going to throw the ball,’ Clawson said. ‘I can’t wait to see the coverages we see next week.’
The Falcons travel to Muncie, Ind., to face Ball State (0-6) Saturday. The Cardinals are 11th in the MAC at stopping the pass, but if they are smart, they will carefully watch game film from BG’s losses to Boise State and Ohio, the only times Barnes has been limited to fewer than 10 catches this season.
Clawson said Kent State showed several different coverage schemes in trying to stop Barnes, especially in the second half when he was lined up all over the field.
But it didn’t seem to matter if Barnes was lined up on the right, left or in the next zip code, he found himself open.
‘I just gave all the credit to God really because without him, I wouldn’t be able to do any of that,’ Barnes said. ‘I just kept thanking Him.’
Barnes probably especially thanked Him before the game-winning drive when the true play of the game occurred.
After the defense held Kent State to a three-and-out with just over three minutes left in the game, the Flashes had to punt, giving the Falcons plenty of time to erase their five-point deficit.
But Willie Geter couldn’t haul in the kick. Luckily, as the ball slipped through his hands, it miraculously bounced directly into Barnes’ hands. He only managed a 4-yard return, but it did up quite the drive.
From their own 26-yard line, the Falcons drove downfield and won the game on Sheehan’s 9-yard scamper with 5 seconds left in the game.
Speaking of Sheehan, he would do all in his power to make sure Barnes is on his team instead of his coach’s during that game on the intramural fields. He too knows the value Barnes brings to any team he’s playing for.
‘I can’t say enough about him,’ Sheehan said. ‘He’s a special player. One that’s not going to come around college football too often.’