The last time we saw Blake Barnes, he was celebrating a Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii with his teammates. Just like the seniors, it was his last game as a Georgia Bulldog. After playing in only four regular season games in as many seasons in Athens, the junior had already decided he would transfer to Division II Delta State to play out his final year of college eligibility.

"At that point, I knew I was leaving," says Barnes. "I just tried to enjoy the last couple of weeks, and getting snaps in the Sugar Bowl was icing on the cake. I can tell my kids one day that I played in the Sugar Bowl."

Signed in 2003, the Baldwyn High signal-caller and Gatorade Mississippi Player-of-the-Year had high hopes for his collegiate career. He enrolled at

Georgia in December, working out with the team in practices leading up to the Capital One Bowl that season. The following season, he redshirted as

David Greene finished a record-setting career as the Bulldogs' quarterback. In 2005, Barnes appeared in three games as

D.J. Shockley led Georgia to the SEC title. Still only co-number three on the depth chart to start the '06 season along with freshman

Matthew Stafford and behind senior Joe Tereshinski and redshirt freshman

Joe Cox, Barnes didn't play at all that year.

By '07, with Stafford and Cox establishing a 1-2 pecking order, Barnes saw only mop-up duty in a blowout win over Division II Western Carolina in the regular season. While the handwriting had been on the wall for a while, Barnes finally decided he would have to move on if he wanted a chance to play.

"The thought entered my mind a year earlier," he says. "But I didn't really feel like it was time to leave Georgia. I wanted to get on the field and I thought there was an outside shot at doing that at UGA. Last fall, though, it got to the point where I still had a lot to offer as a player and I wanted to see what was out there."

Barnes made calls to several Division II schools and on more than one occasion was told that he would pretty much be "the guy" if he decided to go there. Delta State, meanwhile, offered no such guarantee, but second-year coach

Ron Roberts did offer Barnes a chance to compete for the Statesmen's starting job. Barnes decided to go with DSU, located in Cleveland, Mississippi, just two and a half hours away from his hometown of Baldwyn. Through it all, Barnes says he harbored no bitterness toward UGA.

"I have enjoyed Athens, the coaches, everything," he says. "It was a place I wanted to be. Three years at Georgia brought a lot of experiences; chances to do things that I never would have gotten to do anywhere else, but I would never be satisfied with that."

When it came time to go, Barnes left Georgia with the blessings of his coaches and teammates alike.

"Everybody was supportive," he says. "Coach Richt and Coach Bobo said 'we could see this coming. We have no problem. We don't see you as a quitter or backing out on us. We want you to take this chance and go play somewhere.' It was the same with my teammates."

Coming back to Mississippi offered more than just a chance to play, says Barnes; it offered a chance to operate in familiar surroundings.

"It's home for me," he says. "I'm close to my family. I thought it would be nice to be around friends and family and give them a chance to come and see me play."

Three of Barnes' cousins attend DSU, including Korey Cunningham, a standout pitcher for the second-ranked Delta State baseball team. Cunningham led the Statesmen in wins (nine) and ERA (2.22) heading into an upcoming Division II regional tournament. Barnes says he saw Cunningham pitch a few times when he wasn't busy learning a new offensive system. After taking nearly a month getting adjusted to a different environment, Barnes soon sunk his teeth into learning the wide-open, Delta State offensive attack.

"The offense is 180 degrees from Georgia's," he says. "We line up four and five wide every play. The quarterback is never under center. It's an old Run-and-Shoot offense where the receivers always have option routes. It's a very 'QB-friendly' offense similar to what Florida does with the way they use Tebow and have receivers running the ball."

Barnes shared time in spring practice with juniors Garrett DeWitt and Dedrick Wilson. In the annual Green-and-White game, Barnes finished 6-of-13 in the passing department for 25 yards, while Wilson was 5-of-9 for 30 yards and Dewitt went 8-of 12 for 103 yards and an interception.

"Once I learned the offense and got into practice, it was another adjustment in running it full speed," says Barnes.

Wilson, DSU's starter last season, also saw extensive time as a slot receiver in the spring due to injuries at that position. Barnes believes Wilson may get a good look there in the fall, which will obviously lead to a greater opportunity for Barnes at quarterback. Roberts says that while no one has yet nailed down the starting job, he's pleased with what he's seen out of Barnes so far.

"Blake did a great job this spring and we look for him to compete for the starting job in the fall," says Roberts. "He is very intelligent, has a strong arm and is mobile in the pocket. He is a quality person and a great person to have in the program."

Meanwhile, Barnes is also excited about the prospects for 2008 for a Delta State squad that went 10-2 a season ago.

"I came here not only because it's home but because this is a really good team," he says. "Last season, they made it to the second round of the playoffs and should have gone further. It's a very talented program and we've got some more guys coming in that we'll add to the table. We're thinking we really could have a shot to win it all."

Win or lose, once his senior season is complete, Barnes says he'll head back to Athens afterward to finish a degree in Speech Communications. He was nine hours short of completion at the end of fall 2007 and says the classes he's taking at DSU will help "knock down the load" until he can finish up at UGA.

Barnes is sporting a new look altogether these days and when he hits the field for his first home game at DSU in the fall, he'll be wearing a green jersey with #4 on it, which may draw comparisons to another native Mississippian who played quarterback.

"It's been my favorite since high school and I never got a chance to wear it at Georgia," says Barnes. "But I tell people it's also a tribute to Brett Favre."

As he looks to scratch the football itch one last time, Barnes says the feedback from the Delta State players has been positive to this point.

"The team has been really receptive," he says. "They took me in. It's been a lot of fun."