March 10, 2009

San Marcos, Texas- - Heading into the final week of spring practice, Texas State head football coach Brad Wright has been quite pleased with the progress the Bobcats have demonstrated in the first 12 practices this spring.

"We feel that we are making strides both offensively and defensively," Wright said. "You can really see it on the defensive side of the ball. This is the second spring under (defensive coordinator Fred Bleil) and we are way ahead of where we were last year. We just have to develop some mental toughness and start finishing some plays so we can continue to get better."

The Bobcats will conclude spring practice with their practice on Tuesday before holding their final two scrimmage at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday at Bobcat Stadium.

"We have concluded three weeks and been getting after it four days each week," Wright said. "We have to get them to make a mental push and get through it. We just need to finish strong this last week."

The Bobcats have three-year starting quarterback Bradley George, who became the first Texas State quarterback to throw for 2000 yards in back to back seasons last year. They also have running back Karrington Bush back after he ran for over 1,000 yards for the second straight year, and a group of young wide receivers. On the offensive line, Texas State returns offensive tackles Calvin Gore and Alex Luna, along with Second-Team All-SLC selection D.J. Hall and Winston Ruelas at the two guard spots.

Defensively, Texas State will have Travis Houston back on the defensive line, while Marcus Clark, Joe Bell and Brian Iwuji return at linebacker. In the secondary, Will Thompson and Drenard Williams were starting cornerbacks and Kenneth Hampton developed ended the season as a starting free safety.

Defensively, the Bobcats have to replace three starters on the defensive line, including Second-Team All-SLC performer Donavan King and the team's leading tackler Courtney Smith and cornerback Morris Crosby.

"Mentally, we are ahead of where we were at this time last year," Wright said. "Most of our offensive and defensive players are familiar with what we are putting in this spring. We just have to get some guys developed at a couple of positions and then we will be okay."

Texas State will closed its 2009 spring practices with a final scrimmage on Thursday, Mar. 12 at 4:00 p.m. The scrimmage will be scripted and open to the general public at Bobcat Stadium. It is being played in lieu of the annual Maroon-Gold Spring Game due to construction on the west side of Bobcat Stadium. Because of the construction, the press box which contains controls for the game clocks, scoreboard and video board is closed.

The Bobcats open its 2009 schedule on Sept. 5 against Angelo State.