SLIPPERY ROCK— When Slippery Rock University brought in Nate Crookshank to be its quarterback, the coaches knew they had a work in progress.

Consider the construction complete.

Crookshank has made the transformation from a running option quarterback who rarely threw the ball to one of the most accurate and dangerous passers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

An option quarterback throughout his high school career at Bishop Carroll — where he won 40 of 46 games and reached the PIAAClass A semifinals three times — Crookshank accepted a scholarship offer from perennial Division I-AApower Georgia Southern in 2003.

Bishop Carroll rarely threw the ball 10 times in a game during Crookshank's one-year tenure there.

"I saw it as an opportunity to go to a winning college program that ran the option like my high school did,"Crookshank said. "At the time, Nebraska was probably the only team in the country that ran the option better."

SRUrecruited Crookshank out of high school and the Rock coaching staff never took its eyes off him, despite the quarterback's decision to head south.

"We liked him as an athlete, No. 1,"SRUoffensive coordinator Vic Campagna said. "We don't need a pocket quarterback with the offense we run and a quarterback who can get around the corner like he can, we wanted."

Rock head coach George Mihalik said that if Crookshank had originally signed with a nothern school, "he probably wouldn't be here right now.

"We knew he was going a long way from home and to a whole different culture,"Mihalik said. "Deep down, I felt like we still had a shot."

They did.

Crookshank found himself No. 3 on the depth chart at Georgia Southern. He also discovered he was the slowest afoot among the five quarterbacks on the roster.

"They wanted a quarterback who could hit the seam with 4.4 speed,"Crookshank said. "That wasn't me. The coaches wanted to switch me to wide receiver, but I wanted to be a quarterback.

"The writing was on the wall. If I was ever gonna play there, it wouldn't have been until my senior year."

Crookshank didn't want to wait. He began looking at Division IIschools that recruited him in high school and Slippery Rock easily won out.

"Coach Mihalik and I went to the same high school,"Crookshank said. "We developed a good relationship during the recruiting process.

"They needed a quarterback and I saw a chance to compete for the job and get on the field right away."

Crookshank didn't join The Rock until August of 2004. He was its starting quarterback four weeks later — and the inexperience showed.

"He hadn't thrown a football in over a year,"Mihalik said. "He had to learn our offense. In terms of developing a passing game, he pretty much had to start all over."

The rust showed early. Three games into his freshman year, Crookshank had completed less than 50 percent of his passes and had eight interceptions.

Through his first two seasons as SRU's quarterback, he threw 18 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions.

"He was a typical young quarterback,"Campagna said. "Suceeding at that position is all about maturity and experience. You have to develop that as a quarterback.

"You rarely even see it in the NFL, where a new guy steps in at the position and just takes off."

But Crookshank is taking off this year. Entering this Saturday night's game against Mansfield at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, he has completed 65 percent of his passes for 415 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

The difference?Mihalik said his quarterback has learned to be one of 11 guys on the field.

"Competitive spirit can be a plus. It can also be a negative,"the coach said. "His first two years here, Nate wanted to be perfect. He constantly tried to make plays, whether it was there or not."

"His decision-making is where he's improved the most,"Campagna agreed. "Nate takes what's there now. He's had a good crop of receivers mature and grow along with him and that's helped, too."

While The Rock's running game has been riddled with injuries, Crookshank refuses to abandon it.

He knows he needs it.

"A lot of what we do in the passing game comes off play-action,"he said. "We need to be able to run the football.

"My first year here, I knew enough about the offense to go out and play, but I didn't have a grasp for what the other guys were doing. Now it's all coming together."

Crookshank's game is coming together as well, prompting comparisons to Randy McKavish, The Rock's previous four-year starter from a high school in Ebensburg.

By the time Crookshank's career is complete, he will likely be No. 2 behind McKavish on SRU's all-time list of passing yards, completions and touchdown passes.

"Randy McKavish is going to be legendary here as long as they're playing football here,"Crookshank said. "We're two different quarterbacks. He was his own person and he had his team, I have my team. It's an honor being mentioned with him, though.

"All I want to do here is win games. Get to the playoffs, go as far as you. That's what I've always been about. It's what [we're going to be about here."

Here is how Slippery Rock University junior quarterback Nate Crookshank's passing numbers compare after his first two games each season:• <B>2003</B> — (vs. Bloomsburg and Youngstown State):24 of 49, 267 yards, 1 TD, 5 INT.• <B>2004</B> — (vs. Bloomsburg and Youngstown State): 36 of 59, 445 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INT.• <B>2005</B> — (vs. Youngstown State and Millersville):32 of 47, 416 yards, 6 TDs, 0INT.Crookshank on SRU's all-time chart:• <B>Passing yards</B> — Randy McKavish 7,634; James Poldiak 4,963; John Linhart 4,637; Chad Vogt 4,087; Don Christian 4,013; Nate Crookshank 3,506• <B>Passing Attempts</B> — Randy McKavish 1,060; John Linhart 661; James Poldiak 644; Don Christian 589; Chad Vogt 551; Nate Crookshank 508• <B>Pass completions</B> — Randy McKavish 523; John Linhart 354; James Poldiak 344; Chad Vogt 299; Don Christian 272; Nate Crookshank 271