July 10, 2007

This is the first in an eight-part series previewing the Texas State Bobcats position by position.

SAN MARCOS - When Bradley George came off the bench in the third quarter of the Bobcats' 2006 season opener against Tarleton State the then, red-shirt freshman had not taken a snap in a real football game in seven years. Still, in that first collegiate series the potential was clearly evident.

He completed his first four passes and also ran for a first down. He actually completed five straight but the fifth was called back by an illegal block that would end a potential scoring drive.

By Week Four, George was Texas State's starting signal caller. He completed 124 of 233 passes for 1,676 yards during the season. He ranked second in the Southland Conference in passing as well as total offense in his debut collegiate season.

But as was evident by 10 interceptions during the year, it was a roller-coaster season. The extensive playing experience gained as a freshman however should go a long way for seasons to come.

"The game experience has really helped him," said Texas State co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Travis Bush. "He got better each week of the season last year. This spring he assumed more of a leadership role. He is more confident. You can tell he is a much more mature player than he was a year ago."

Bush added the game is beginning to slow down for the New Braunfels native.

"Everything looks easy on the board, but until you get into a game and see what is happening, it is really hard to get a feel for it," he said. "You can tell he is starting to grasp everything."

Already with sound fundamentals, now it is a matter of George just continuing to get more comfortable with Texas State's offensive system. More time, whether it's in summer workouts or during two-a-days, will help him continue to become better at decision making and running the offense.

Confidence is also growing when it comes to playing with his teammates, especially the skill players at the other end of his aerial spirals. The Bobcats return 12 of 16 players who had at least one reception last year.

"They are all becoming confident working together and they have a feel for each other," Bush said. "Bradley now has a feel for the play action. He has a feel when it comes to how receivers are going to run their routes. He now knows when Tyrone Scott is going to come out of his break as opposed to Morris Crosby. He can feel when Alex Darley is going to run by a defender instead of waiting for it to happen.

"A year ago, these guys didn't know one another. The more they work together and the more they work in the same system, the better they get at having a feel for how each other works."

Behind George is junior Clint Toon who walked on to the Texas State program last fall after last playing at Kilgore Junior College. In Texas State's spring game, Toon completed 7-of-14 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Bush said it was an early goal in the spring to find the team's No. 2 quarterback and Toon separated himself from the rest of the group. In fact, with the staff knowing where George was in terms of his knowledge of the system, Toon received quite a few reps with Texas State's No. 1 offense.

"Clint was really efficient when he was in there," Bush said. "That is all you have to do when you are in the game as a quarterback, run the offense efficiently. He always knew where to go with the football. He was very confident and consistent.

"Clint has a lot of the characteristics that Bradley has," added Bush. "He is very smart and very coachable. We would feel very comfortable with either Bradley or Clint in a ball game."

Texas State will add depth to the quarterback position in the fall. The Bobcats signed Daren Dillard out of Garland's Lakeview Centennial High School. As a senior, Dillard threw for 2,285 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 168 yards and five more scores. According to the Texas High School Coaches Association's statistical rankings, he ranked No. 10 in the state in Class 5A passing yards.