Senior quarterback passed for 2,710 yards and 12 TD last season
TAMPA, FLA., AUG. 20, 2019 – USF senior quarterback Blake Barnett (Corona, Calif.) has been named to the 2019 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List, making the watch list for the top senior quarterback in the nation.
Barnett becomes the fifth Bull named to a national award watch list prior to the start of the 2019 season, joining senior tight end Mitchell Wilcox (Mackey Award), senior tackle Marcus Norman (Outland Trophy), junior defensive back Mike Hampton (Jim Thorpe Award) and junior kicker Coby Weiss (Groza Award).
Barnett led USF to three double-digit fourth quarter comebacks in his first season on the field for the Bulls as he ranked 27th nationally passing for 245.9 yards per game, the second-best season average in USF history. He logged 3,011 total yards (273.7 ypg, 25th nationally), the ninth-best mark in program history, and was well on pace for the program’s first ever 3,000-yard passing season before being sidelined by injuries in two of the Bulls’ final three games.
Barnett finished the year passing for 2,710 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 61.1 completion percentage, fourth-best in program history. He logged three 300-yard passing games and also posted 301 yards rushing while running for eight touchdowns. Barnett threw for a career high 411 yards, second-most in USF history, and added two TD passes in the Bulls’ win at Illinois and earned national recognition from the Davey O’Brien Award and Manning Award committees after passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns and running for 86 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Georgia Tech.
USF opens the season on Fri., Aug. 30 with an ESPN primetime clash with Wisconsin at 7 p.m. in Raymond James Stadium. Season, single-game and ticket packages are available by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting USFBullstix.com or Ticketmaster.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program’s 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
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