Editor’s note: The following column from the Best of West collection was originally published in the Port Arthur News on Oct. 9, 1987.

What to do with Craig Stump?

That seems to be the $64,000 question in College Station this week, as the Texas A&M; quarterback situation grows curiouser and curiouser. Do the Aggies go with head coach Jackie Sherrill’s favorite. Lance Pavlas; offensive coordinator Lynn Amedee’s preference, Bucky Richardson; or Stump, who just happens to be their best all around QB.

It’s a question Stump complicated considerably with his sold off-the-bench performance at Texas Tech last week. Before he came within a dropped fourth-down pass of rescuing the Aggies from a 13-point deficit, it appeared the TJ ex was sentenced to spending most of his time watching two freshmen direct A&M.;

Now all bets are off. Sherrill, as much as he wants Pavlas to succeed, admits the Tomball whiz is not ready when it comes to reading defense. He’s also looking at Stump with new respect, on the basis of the way he revived a stagnant Aggie offense against the Red Raiders.

“Craig did some good things at Tech,” Sherrill said Thursday. “He threw the ball well and gave us a lift. If it hadn’t been for the dropped pass on fourth down, we’d have had an excellent chance to win. I think maybe we put too much pressure on him, and he put too much pressure on himself in those first two games.”

Stump, who entered the Tech game with A&M; trailing 27-14 in the fourth quarter, completed four of four passes on his first possession in directing the Aggies on their longest touchdown drive of the year — 76 yards. He was on his way to leading them to the go-ahead touchdown when wide receiver Rod Harris dropped a perfectly thrown ball on 4th-and-3 at the Tech 45.

For the five possessions he was in the game, Stump completed 8-of-14 passes for 112 yards. Three of the six passes he didn’t complete were on target but were dropped. Two others, including one that was deflected as A&M; raced the clock, were intercepted.

“Craig only made one bad throw — his firs interception,” said Sherrill. “You can’t fault him on the tipped ball. The important thing about his play, I think, is what it did for his confidence. He’s kept a good attitude through all that’s happened, but going out there and completing passes like he did has to restore some confidence.”

One observer duly impressed with Stump was Texas Tech secondary coach Lance Van Zandt. Van Zandt said he feared the game was slipping away when Stump awakened the slumbering A&M; offense.

“I thought Jackie made a smart move in changing quarterbacks,” said Van Zandt. “Stump did an excellent job. He threw the ball well and he did a good job reading the coverage and going to the right man. He sparked his team, which is what you need a guy to do in that situation. I hate to think what would have happened if they’d caught the fourth-down pass.”

So does Sherrill move Stump back in as the starter, or does he continue to use him in relief? All he’d say Thursday is that all three quarterbacks are going to play in Saturday’s game against the University of Houston.

Working in Stump’s favor would seem to be the fact Tech was able to keep Pavlas off balance with a defensive scheme that involved rushing only three players and disguising coverages. It was a tactic that didn’t work nearly as well against the more experienced Stump, but one other SWC coaching staffs are bound to employ when Pavlas is playing.

“They were giving us one coverage before the snap, then rotating to another one after the snap,” said Stump, who has handled himself with grace and poise through a trying time. “It’s the kind of thing you don’t notice if you’re not looking while you’re taking your drop.”

Stump remains low-key about where the quarterback situation is headed. He wants to be the starter, but says he’s prepared to make the best of whatever hand he’s dealt.

“The best thing I’ve done is not get in a down frame of mind when things don’t go my way,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with what happened in the Washington game, but I told myself somewhere down the line I’d be needed. The time came Saturday in Lubbock. I think I was able to do well because I’d stayed in a positive frame of mind.

“I went into the game relaxed. I wasn’t worried about what would happen if I made a mistake. I’d like to think I vindicated myself somewhat with the way I played, although I’m disappointed with the final score. The dropped pass hurt us and I made a bad decision that led to an interception which hurt us.”

A&M;’s offensive woes are such that the Aggies have managed only three sustained scoring drives of more than six plays, or more than 47 yards. Stump, in his limited playing time, has been the quarterback on two of them — 47 yards in 12 plays to a field goal against LSU and 76 yards to a touchdown against Tech.

The Aggies, when Pavlas has been their quarterback, have scored via the big play or they’ve struggled. A&M; has covered 17, 7, 12 and 19 yards following turnovers for four of its seven scores with Pavlas at QB. Two others came as the result of a 69-yard screen pass and a 74-yard run.

All things being equal, a decision to return to Stump as the starter should be fairly routine. Trouble is, at A&M; all things are not necessarily equal. Or, put another way, what you see isn’t necessarily what you get.

If and when Sherrill becomes head coach of the Houston Oilers, as rumors have it, that bit of doublespeak will be much easier to explain. In the meantime, Craig Stump needs to make the most of his opportunities.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net.