Maybe it's a misnomer to point out that Joe McLain, now the veteran quarterback for the Chadron State College football team was a ball boy for the Eagles while he was growing up in Chadron because he didn't get very big. In fact, at 5-8, 170 pounds he may be the smallest quarterback in NCAA Division II. But he's been an extremely effective quarterback. The Eagles have won 15 of the 17 games he has started after a shoulder injury to Tyler Hidrogo in the sixth game of the 2005 season thrust McLain onto the field almost before he could drop the clipboard he was using to chart plays. With McLain at the controls, Chadron State won three of its final four games that season and then went 12-1 with him calling the shots last autumn. "Joe's a great quarterback and a great all-around person," said Chris Stein, the Eagles' passing game coordinator who has spent countless hours with McLain since that fateful day in mid-October 2005. "He does everything well," Stein said. "He can run, the velocity on his passes has improved as he's gotten older and stronger and he's playing with more confidence because he's had so much experience. He also handles the ball well and carries out his fakes well on the counter and toss plays that often are some of our best plays. He works at that sort of thing and takes pride in it."Stein added that McLain is also an excellent leader, a lot of it by example. "Sometimes I wish he'd be a little more vocal, but the players respect him and pay attention when he does say something." Head Coach Bill O'Boyle said McLain may be the most competitive player on the team, even if he is on the quiet side. McLain had a stellar season in 2006. He set a new CSC single-game record by completing all eight of his passes against Western State. Earlier in the year he had completed 13 of 15 against Colorado Mines. Those figures helped him complete 139 of 231 passes, or 60.2 percent, for the season. No other CSC quarterback had ever topped the 60 percent figure in a season. McLain's passes gained 1,668 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Stein noted that it's vital for the Eagles to have a strong passing game because it prevents the opposition from "loading up the box with eight or nine people" in an attempt to stop Danny Woodhead. "If we can't pass, our offense won't work," O'Boyle added. The respect McLain has earned was apparent this summer when the RMAC coaches placed him on the preseason all-conference team. The CSC coaches fretted most of the spring and summer about depth at the position. The only other quarterbacks on the roster were Zac Zandstra of Rapid City and Garrett Treffer of Scottsbluff. Both are redshirt freshmen who have never suited up for a game. They were given a crash course during the spring, taking at least 90 percent of the snaps from center while McLain looked on, often while standing alongside Woodhead, who also was withheld from contact. The coaches apparently did a good job. During the spring game, Zandstra completed 12 of 18 passes for 186 yards and Treffer hit on 10 of 17 for 75 yards. Perhaps more importantly, they did not fumble and threw just one interception, which was on a "hail Mary" play as the clock was expiring. It's no secret that despite the progress that Zandstra and Treffer made, the coaches continued to look for an experienced quarterback to help back McLain during the summer. A couple of transfers were eventually signed, but it was soon determined when practice began two weeks ago that it was best to stick with Zandstra and Treffer. There's just not enough time during the preseason for a newcomer to learn the offense. The transfers are redshirting. In particular, Stein said Zandstra has been impressive. "He has come a long ways," said Stein. "I'm surprised how far he's come. He's been zipping the ball around and has good accuracy. He still needs to learn what he can and can't do, but he knows when he messes up. "That's a big part of making it work. I hope we can get him some significant playing time early in the season to help him feel more comfortable if he's needed in an emergency."Stein also has good things to say about Treffer. "He can really throw the ball and is learning. He made some nice plays in our scrimmage last week. He's probably not quite as far along as Zac, but he's getting there."While the new quarterbacks apparently won't play this season, a couple of them are highly-regarded and could be in the mix to replace McLain after the 2008 season when he is the senior. They include Chris Scott, a transfer from Corona, Calif., with excellent athleticism, and freshman Jon Kuzava, a two-year starter at Heritage High in the Denver area."He (Kuzava) has had as really good fall camp for a young guy," Stein noted. - See more at: http://www.csc.edu/modules/news/public_news/view/2038#sthash.FSEhMBlq.dpuf