Does Texas State have a QB controversy?

We all know Texas State head coach Brad Wright likes to use a two-QB system. Last season, Bradley George and Clint Toon split time, and while it didn't transfer to many wins, it kept both players fresh.

Should the two QBs split time this season?

Against Angelo State, George didn't look good, to put it nicely. He threw as many interceptions (two) as he did completed passes. Granted, the Bobcats ran the ball a lot before halftime, but out of nine passes, at least half should be completed, judging on his past success.

Neither George or Toon differentiated themselves in the first half. At the start of the third quarter, George was on the bench and Toon took the reigns. After a mediocre quarter, Toon led Texas State to two scores in the final period, the last, clinched the game.

"We're going to look at the film," Wright said, when asked if George is still his starter. "Obviously, you guys (the press) can sit out there and say 'Clint Toon should be the starting quarterback and right now,' I'm going to sit here this evening and say right now, he looks like he should be the starting quarterback. But there may be a lot of things he still did wrong too. We may still be at ground zero and we don't have a quarterback. I don't know."

Who should be starting next week against Southern Methodist? Discuss.

Live fron Bobcat Stadium (SECOND HALF)!

• Both teams are on the field, TIED AT 7. Angelo State gets the ball.
• Rams open up with a 33-yard pass.
• ASU completes a 20-yard pass on 4th-and-10.
• Texas State pass defense returning to its old form. Neiswander has 53 yards passing in 2nd half, already.
• TOUCHDOWN! Neiswander 4-yard pass to Nate Bayless, who made a great catch inches from the turf. 14-7 ASU (10:49 left in the 3rd quarter).
• Dr. Larry Teis is looking pretty uncomfortable sitting in the press box. He schedules some tough Division II teams.
• Texas State escaped a bullet on third-and-6. Neiswander barely missed Sam Tindol streaking up the middle of the field. Could've gone for a touchdown if the ball was there.
• Clint Toon's legs are saving the Bobcat offense. He's saved several plays so far in the second half with his ability to scramble. George might have been benched.
• TOUCHDOWN! Toon 4-yard touchdown pass to Mishak Rivas in the corner of the end zone. 14-14 TIE.
• Texas State keeps dodging bullets. Another missed FG by ASU. Still 14-14.
• Re: Texas State dodging bullets. ASU pass interference gives Bobcats first down with 8:50 to go. Would have been 4th-and-5.
• Angelo State plays the tip drill, interception. Ram ball 19-yard line, 7:55 left in the 4th.
• Ram kicker Ryan Smith nails a trifecta of missed FGs; hits the upright, wide right and wide left.
• TOUCHDOWN. Blake Burton 1-yard run. 21-14 Texas State.
• Telling quote postgame "We didn't play to win, we played not to lose," Texas State head coach Brad Wright.
  

Live from Bobcat Stadium (FIRST HALF)!

• It's a hot one out here at Bobcat Stadium with the temperature hovering right around 97 degrees at 5:20 p.m. Both teams are on the field and look ready to begin. Just 38 minutes until the 2008 season kicks off.
• Five minutes to go until kickoff and the turn-out on the student side is far more than on the "Dark Side."
• Texas State wins the toss and decides to receive. We get to see early what the offense can do.
• Even though it's early in the game (12:33 left in the first), the Bobcats are moving the ball easily on the ground.
• TOUCHDOWN! Bradley George to Cameron Luke for an 8-yard touchdown pass. The only completed pass on the drive (George only attempted two). 7-0 Texas State, 10:18 left, 1st quarter.
• Bobcat defense forced a turnover on its the Rams' first drive. Marcus Clark sack and forced fumble, Donovan King recovery.
• Texas State turns it right back over as Bradley George telegraphs a pass into the hands of Jordan Cortez. It's Cortez's first interception in THREE years.
  
• George was injured on the interception return (George warming up on the sideline, seems to be fine).
  
• Angelo State puts a good drive together, but a FG attempt bounces off the left upright. Still 7-0 Texas State.
• Simple flare passes, either to RBs or TEs confusing Bobcat defense.
• TOUCHDOWN! Josh Neiswander to Drew Peterson for an 1-yard score. Tied up 7-7, 0:15 left until half.
• George picked again by Angelo State, second interception of the day, this time by Pete Parker.
• TIED AT 7, HALFTIME
  

Look for tomorrow's live blog from Bobcat Stadium

This site is going to be updated frequently with information, scores and tidbits from Bobcat Stadium during the Texas State - Angelo State game.  Be sure to check us out.

In 2008, the Texas State football team will...

Match the following answers with the person who said it (Answers will be given tomorrow):

1 - "...prepare one game at a time and win one at a time. That's the only way we can do it."
2 - "...take each game one at a time and hopefully compete in the Southland Conference."
3 - "...be vastly improved from last year. We're going to be definitely be taking that first step to becoming the new Texas State."

A - Stan Zwinggi
B - Will Thompson
C - Brad Wright


Finish the statement yourself in the comment section. In 2008, the Texas State football team will...


ANSWERS: 1-C, 2-A, 3-B

Observations from practice 8/27...

• Texas State began running scout team drills for the Angelo State game.
• Jamal Williams is back on the field as his injury was deemed less than serious. His right ring finger is splinted, but otherwise, he looks fine.
• Williams did look timid on several plays, but due to his hand injury, how can you blame him?
• The second team offensive line didn't look good at all today. They were out of position and allowed the nose tackle into the backfield on every play, especially during OL/DL drills.
• Mishak Rivas should be recipient of several misdirection plays this season.
• Rivas' speed around the end should be a force to be reckoned with this fall.
• Bradley George was picked off by a walk-on freshman during passing drills.
• You've heard of players vomiting, but today, a Texas State coach lost his lunch on the sideline between drills.
  

Now opening up the Bobcat Mailbag

In order to bring you, our readers closer to the action, the Daily Record is opening up the "Bobcat Mailbag." We ask you, the readers, to send in questions to be asked to the Bobcat coach or player of your choice. Each week, we will pick three questions out of the mix and run them in our print edition. They will also be posted online. You can e-mail them to Tyler Mayforth or post them right here on the blog.

Is NOW the time to win?

When I spoke with Dr. Larry Teis, athletic director at Texas State about the state of the Bobcat athletic department, earlier this summer, two things he said jumped out at me.

One: "We need to win (this year). I told our coaches this specifically, especially our key coaches and they know it. It's me, it's them, it's all of us. We're doing a capital campaign and one of the big things to take a capital campaign to the next level is to win. It's no secret, I've sat down with Doug (Davalos) and Brad (Wright) and told them 'We need to do this and we need to do this together.' I'll do everything I can within budget and within my power, because I hired both of them. I believe in them. We're carrying the torch for the entire university. That's the position we're in."

Two: "The goal is for football to get to the playoffs every year. This year we're hoping to get to the playoffs and make it a few rounds and see where we end up. Basketball, we probably let that program get down too low, to three wins. But we've gone from three to nine to thirteen. That's progress."

Both comments have an underlying theme. NOW is the time to win at Texas State. As fans, do you agree with the statements Dr. Teis made?

What if football and basketball don't live up to expectations and improve this year? What changes need to be made to assure success?

Discuss.

Check out the Texas State football preview...

Two stories on the Bobcats in this Sunday's Daily Record. One is a preview, breaking down the offense and defense, the other is a feature on Bradley George. Take a look.

Defense and mental toughness.

Those are the two areas in which the Texas State football team needed to improve according to head coach Brad Wright. After last season’s 4-7 campaign, the Bobcats needed a change and they needed it fast.

Texas State’s defense in 2007 was near the bottom in the Southland Conference. The Bobcats allowed 37.6 points per game, while only scoring 28.1. Offensively, Texas State was putting up the points to win, but the defense wasn’t doing its job.

“It was getting real irritating,” Bobcat running back Karrington Bush said. “We’d score and then the defense would give up another touchdown, so we’d keep having to put points on the board to stay ahead.”

Games would become glorified track meets, with points interchanged for times and meters with yards. Texas State lost many of the races before it began simply because its defense couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Read more here.

Bradley George has tenure.

That’s the polite way of saying the Texas State quarterback is old. George remembers graduating high school in 2000, playing catch with King Tut and trading notes with Socrates.

All right, only one of those statements is true about the 26-year-old, but his life goes in cycles.

Seven years ago, the Cincinnati Reds took George in the 12th round of the MLB amateur entry draft. After a stellar career at New Braunfels-Canyon, George signed with Cincinnati in hopes of reaching the majors.

“I gave myself about a four or five-year window, if I was going to make it in the big leagues, or getting close to it anyway” George said.

Read more here.

Jamal Williams likely done for year

Texas State's secondary took a huge hit and the season hasn't even started yet. The Bobcats, already lacking at safety, learned they might be without Jamal Williams for the year.

"It's a shame," Texas State head coach Brad Wright said. "He was the one that was probably doing the best job out of the four guys."

Williams was injured in practice late this week with an undisclosed injury and was dressed in his jersey and shorts during practice on Thursday. If Williams is lost for the season, it means T.P. Miller and Matt Schumann will need to step up.

Wright has been noted to have questions about his safeties since the beginning of fall camp, so this isn't good for the secondary. With the season opener only seven days away, Miller and Schumann will need to pick it up quickly.

D-Block ready to step up...

After practice on Thursday, even though Mike Bugar, new defensive line coach, liked what he saw out of his group, the d-line ran sidelines. It wasn't to punish them, but to make them faster and mentally tougher.

Last season, the d-line, also known as "D-Block," was one of the most reliable parts of the Texas State defense. While the secondary struggled to stop air, the lineman held strong in the trenches. The group had seven of the team's 16 sacks last season.

This season, the Bobcat line is senior laden, with Donovan King, Ray Parker and Wellington Deshield all returning. Travis Houston is the lone underclassman on the starting grid. More than nine months into the new 4-3, they are truly buying into the system.

"We're looking good," Parker said. "We have a lot of leadership and seniority on the d-line. We had a lot of guys from the previous years who just weren't used to the change from (David) Bailiff to (Brad) Wright, but now we have a full year under Wright. We understand what we need to do."

Ultimately, the success of a defense in a 4-3 comes down to the defensive line. Should the group up front give way at any moment, the offensive lineman can break into the second level and lay a block on a linebacker, freeing up running room.

D-Block knows it needs to hold its ground and make up for what happened last season. It's their motivation.

"Last season we kind of turned around and started striving to get better," Houston said. "We wanted a new attitude for the team. We had a real hard offseason to get ready, but a lot of what we do now is because of last season."

For more on Parker, be sure to check tomorrow's Daily Record.

Texas State volleyball picked first in SLC...

The Texas State volleyball team was picked to finish first in the Southland Conference by both coaches and SIDs alike. The Bobcats received eight votes in the coaches' poll and seven first place votes from the SIDs.

You can view the rankings and Southland story here.

Coaches Poll

West Division

Texas State (8) 114

UT Arlington 75

Lamar (1) 73

UTSA 73

Sam Houston State 59

A&M-Corpus Christi 36

East Division

Stephen F. Austin (3) 113

McNeese State 78

Central Arkansas 67

Northwestern State 46

Southeastern Louisiana 16

Nicholls State 15

(First-place votes)

SID Poll

West Division

Texas State (7) 111

Lamar (1) 101

UT Arlington 72

UTSA 69

Sam Houston State 56

A&M-Corpus Christi 31

East Division

Stephen F. Austin (4) 111

Central Arkansas 78

McNeese State 71

Northwestern State 46

Nicholls State 17

Southeastern Louisiana 16

Quick hits with Donovan King

(Texas State photo)

Q: What's on your iPod these days?
A: I listen to a little Tracy Lawrence to get my little country on. Then the new Lil Wayne CD and a Ludacris mixtape. Then a little bit of Metallica and some Marilyn Manson.

Q: What's your typical pre-game ritual?
A: Eat a good meal, rock out and get ready for the game.


Q: What's the song that gets you pumped up for games?
A: Drowing Pool, "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor."

Q: Who's your secret celebrity crush?
A: I'd have to go with Vivica Fox. She's pretty old, but still looks good.

Look for new Bobcat practice video soon...

After a short delay, the San Marcos Daily Record will post new video of the Texas State football team's practices. This will add to the three videos already in the multimedia vault.

Be sure to check it out, as well as the Bobcat season preview this Saturday.

Positives and Negatives...

Ran a story in Sunday's paper about the positives and negatives of the Texas State football team so far. You can read some of the examples down below and all of it here.

Positives

• The defense looks better — which doesn’t say much considering it was one of the worst in the Southland Conference last season. But Texas State has made a concerted effort to improve. The Bobcats look well-versed in their fundamentals and are tackling far better.

• The additions of new defensive coaches Fred Bleil and Mike Bugar have paid off. They bring 67 years of coaching experience between them to Texas State. Bleil left a Tulane team which limited opposing offenses to 132.6 rushing yards per game. Bugar spent the last six years at North Texas, producing seven All-Sun Belt Conference selections on the defensive line.

Negatives

• The Bobcat defense overpursues the run, which can lead to big gains on cutbacks and counters. During full-team drills, the offense can count on five-to-seven yard gains like clockwork if they run a misdirection.

• Texas State’s secondary, while it has improved with the coaching of Bleil and the addition of Williams, must take leaps, not baby steps in the next two weeks. Will Thompson needs to get more physical at the line of scrimmage. Morris Crosby, while showing signs of breaking out into a lock-down corner, must improve in man-to-man coverage.

Season opener in two weeks...

At this time, two weeks from now, the lights will go on over Bobcat Stadium and Texas State will have kicked off its 2008 season. There are tons of expectations surrounding this team ever since the proposal to move into the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) was announced.

Are you more excited with this season approaching or is about the same? Discuss this and more in the comments section.

A few quick notes...

• The Texas State football team will hold its second scrimmage of the fall tomorrow (Saturday) at Bobcat Stadium. The scrimmage is open to the public and will start around 8:30 a.m.
• Read the story in the Daily Record previewing the scrimmage here.
• The Bobcat women's soccer team is hosting Texas Wesleyan tomorrow (Saturday) in their only exhibition. They will hope to score more goals than they did in the first three games last season (zero). Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

Observations from practice (8/14)...

• Texas State lacks any type of physical presence in the secondary. Morris Crosby inflicts the most fear out of the bunch. The running joke among practice regulars is the Bobcats have "1.5 good safeties."
• Head coach Brad Wright echoed the sentiments about his safeties when asked how soon he needed them to get better: "Yesterday would have been nice."
• Crosby has a new nickname, given to him by wide receiver Da'Marcus Griggs: "Shawn Kemp."
• Crosby fired back a name of his own that Griggs brushed off: "Kevin Garnett. He looks like KG."
• Quarterback Bradley George lacks urgency with his throws. While it may be practice, George left several of his receivers out to dry across the middle.
• George said he's been working on his accuracy, but has yet to show it on mid-range throws.
• E.J. LeBlanc and Mishak Rivas will each see considerable playing time in 4-WR sets.
  

Stan Zwinggi feeling good...

Took a minute with Stan Zwinggi to speak with him about, among other things; Texas State's rushing attack being ranked sixth in the FCS by The Sports Network. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation:

On whether he would like to see more playing time: "My personal opinion, I would like to see some more carries, but you know, some days you're going to have it, some day's you're not. One day, I might be on fire. You get that feel of the game. Then it's the coach's job to realize who's on that game and who should get the most carries. But it's keeping us fresh, rotating like this."

On his 92-yard touchdown run against Cal-Poly last season: "It was probably about after 20 yards (that I knew I had it). Because I broke through two tackles and I saw the corner and safety and once I split them, I knew I was gone. It was awesome. I didn't realize how far it was until I was near the end. I was hoping no one was chasing me."

On his health: "It feels good. I can't tell which foot I broke right now."

Read what Zwinggi and Texas State head coach Brad Wright had to say about ranking here.

Texas State volleyball opens up camp

Be sure to check out the story in the Daily Record. You can read it here. We will be running another tomorrow (Wednesday) about newcomers and returners meshing.

Texas State's rushing attack earns high marks...

According to "The Sports Network," Texas State is ranked the sixth-best rushing attack in the FCS behind Cal Poly, Appalachian State, James Madison, Liberty and Richmond.

You can view the article here.

6. Texas State

The good news is the Bobcats have one of the top rushing units around. The bad news is that the Texas State defense was so porous last year that the offense often had to abandon the running game too early. Karrington Bush piled up 1,039 yards and three TDs, while speedster Stan Zwinggi added 497 yards and nine scores as a serious big-play threat. QB Bradley George also has some running ability. Alvin Canady had a 182-yard game against Stephen F. Austin and adds more depth to the rotation.

Quick hits with Will Thompson

(Texas State photo)

Q: What's on your iPod these days?
A: I like a little bit of everything. Not so much the rap, but a little classic rock and Texas country. Right now, I'm in a ZZ Top phase. I haven't been able to turn him off.

Q: What's your favorite song right now?
A: "Mexican Blackbird" by ZZ Top. It's just funny.

Q: Who's your secret celebrity crush?
A: Jennifer Aniston. She's gorgeous. She's my girl right there.

Check out new Texas State practice video...

You can check out new Texas State football practice video on the San Marcos Daily Record site. You can watch the video here.

Bobcats disciplined at practice

Texas State wasn't supposed to run sprints on Friday afternoon with Saturday's two-a-days looming. The plan changed as soon as Bobcat head coach Brad Wright heard of several players misbehaving in the dining hall.

Near the end of practice, the coaching staff motioned all the players to the sideline. From there, Wright snapped. He said he didn't want to receive a phone call from an older woman saying his players laughed when she fell in the dining hall.

Wright told the team, "If you don't know how to behave like a Bobcat, then we're going to have to teach you." The team proceeded to run 3/4, full, 3/4 sprints for 10 minutes. Several players vomited and it led Wright to run them harder.

"We were not going to run today, but a couple issues came up, so we ran as a team because we were embarrassed as a team," Wright said. "That's what it's all about (representing the team on and off the field). You embarrass yourself, you embarrass all of us."

New video from Texas State football practice...

Here is new video from Texas State football practice, taken on Aug. 6. The Bobcats wore shoulder pads for the first time in preparation of wearing full pads on Friday. Texas State opens the regular season on Aug. 30 against Angelo State.

You can watch the video here.

Observations from practice...

• Texas State held its first practice in pads (just shoulder pads) and conducted light-hitting drills.
• Senior safety Jamal Williams was timid about hitting early in practice, drawing the ire of Fred Bleil, defensive coordinator.
• The Bobcats have three solid cornerbacks (Will Thompson, Drenard Williams and Morris Crosby), but what happens when they need a fourth?
• D. Williams seems to be taking charge of the defense, riling up the players and even being told to calm down by a coach.
• Crosby and Alvin Canady got into it along the sideline after Crosby delivered a hard hit on the RB. Words were exchanged, but no punches were thrown.
• Texas State will run in full pads beginning Friday afternoon and continue into the first two-a-days.

Video from the first practice...

Be sure to check out video from the first Texas State football practice on the San Marcos Daily Record web site.

You can watch the video here.

Quick hits with Drenard Williams

Drenard Williams (Texas State photo)

Q: What's on your iPod these days?
A: Tons of different music, but right now, I'm really digging "Tha Carter III," Lil Wayne's new CD.

Q: What's your favorite song off "Tha Carter III"?
A: The song that goes (he proceeds to sing). "Ms. Officer," that's it.


Q: Who is your secret celebrity crush?
A: Man, I would love to say I would take them all, but I need to pick one. Give me Ashanti and I would know what to do with her.


Q: Do you have a hidden talent?
A: Not many of the guys think so, but I can sing a little bit. If you catch me around the shower, you'll hear something.

Observations from the first practice...

• Brad Wright loves to test his players' conditioning and stamina to see how well they trained over the summer.
• Several players had to pull out during the course of practice due to the heat. Garrett Hood and Ray Parker, Jr. were two of them.
• Parker, Jr. really picked it back up when he got back into it, impressing new defensive line coach Mike Bugar.
• Freshman wide receiver Darius Bolden made several tough catches across the middle during a receiver/cornerback drill.
• Morris Crosby looks like a natural at CB. He really put in the effort during the spring and summer. He should have a starting spot come the first game.
• Texas State will hold practice at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday this week, not 3:00 p.m.
  

An Interview with Dominick Maddox

After the THSCA All-Star Game, I took a minute to speak with Dominick Maddox. Even though he signed a Letter of Intent, he was declared academically ineligible to play for Texas State. He will attend Navarro Junior College next season.

On the excitement of playing for Texas State, then learning he was ineligible: "It was a big change to have that happen. I made a lot of mistakes. I was a little bit lazy in school, so I mean, that's a mistake I made in my life and I have to come back from it. I need to be ready to take the second chance or second opportunity that I have. I just made a bunch of mistakes in high school."

On what he learned from it: "As a young man, you just have to grow up and face the mistakes. I took it like a man. I apologized, you know. I had minor mistakes. I'll come back strong and hopefully I'll get a second chance and it all will be fine."

On getting an opportunity to play at Navarro: "It proves to everybody that I'm not a failure. That's what it is. Football's my life. I'm not going to quit just because of some minor set-backs."

Texas State opens practice Monday

The 2008 Texas State football season officially gets underway on Monday, Aug. 4.  

While players report on Sunday, the first real practice will begin on Monday.  Due to new NCAA legislation, teams are not allowed to have two-a-days until a week into fall practice.  The Bobcats will use the new-found time to watch old game tape and learn the playbook.

Texas State opens the 2008 regular season against Angelo State on Saturday, Aug. 30.  Be sure to read the San Marcos Daily Record to keep up-to-date with Bobcat athletics.