Barnes sets NCAA catch record

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes has set an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision record for the most receptions in a single season with his fifth catch in the Humanitarian Bowl.

He finished with 17 receptions for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a 51-yard bomb late in the last minute of the game, in the Falcons' last-second loss to Idaho, 43-42.

Barnes entered Wednesday's game with 138 catches in his senior season. He got his fifth catch on a 7-yard reception late in the first quarter. The record was held by Manny Hazard when he caught
142 passes for Houston in 1989.

He set an NCAA mark for all divisions with his sixth catch, another 7-yarder early in the second quarter, passing the 143 receptions of Nick Smart from Division II Southwest Baptist in 2007. Both Hazard and Smart reached their totals in 11 games.

Barnes' first catch was a 35-yard touchdown on Bowling Green's opening drive.

Barnes finished the regular season averaging 11.5 catches a game, including a school-record 22 receptions for 278 yards and three touchdowns against Kent State in October.