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Thursday, August 27, 1998
A&M quarterback still trying to turn hype
into heroics
By BRIAN LANDMAN
St. Petersburg Times
Branndon Stewart was one of those can't-miss quarterback prospects
coming out of high school.
Surely, with his powerful, accurate right arm to go with his
speed and ability to break big plays, he would lead his college
team to a national championship. Surely, before his career was
over fans everywhere would know his name.
Instead, most folks only misspell his first name.
Stewart showed up at Tennessee the same time as another heralded
quarterback, Peyton Manning. He lost a battle for the starting
job as a freshman and transferred to Texas A&M, where he continues
to try to live up to once-lofty expectations.
"Had he come here out of high school and done what he's
done here, they'd say, 'Well, the guy's had a pretty good career,"
coach R.C. Slocum said.
Stewart fended off a challenge for the starting job last season,
then led the Aggies to the Big 12 Southern Division championship
and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. But few praise him for any of
that.
"He has really carried the burden for a whole lot of the
publicity he got," Slocum said. "It's really worked
against him, but he's demonstrated throughout all this a whole
lot of character, and I don't think it's fazed him too much as
a person."
Stewart, a fifth-year senior, doesn't talk bitterly of his
time at Tennessee. He doesn't bristle when fans or the media broach
the subject, which is often.
"I just go out and do the best I can and leave it at that,"
Stewart said. "I don't worry about what people think or what
people want me to do or anything like that. You can't please everybody.
Even Peyton couldn't."
Had things unfolded differently five years ago, maybe Manning
would be the one citing how even Stewart couldn't possibly meet
the demands of rabid fans.
Far-fetched, you say?
Consider that some recruiting experts rated Stewart the best
quarterback in the Southeast - ahead of Manning. As a senior at
Stephenville (Texas) High, he passed for 2,687 yards and 26 touchdowns,
and rushed for 1,516 yards and 21 scores.
Realizing how quarterbacks flourished in Tennessee's pass-happy
offense, Stewart chose the Volunteers over A&M and Nebraska,
even though Manning was heading to Knoxville, too.
The Volunteers lost senior Jerry Colquitt to a season-ending
knee injury in the opening minutes against UCLA, and coach Phil
Fulmer let both freshmen play.
Manning handed off three times. His short series ended in a
punt. Stewart completed 2 of 5 passes for 37 yards and rushed
twice for 13 yards. His drive ended with a missed field goal.
Two weeks later, in a 31-0 blowout loss at home to Florida,
Manning and Stewart played again. Stewart fared better statistically.
He completed 6 of 8 passes for 85 yards and had an electrifying
30-yard run. But when junior Todd Helton was injured the next
week at Mississippi State, Manning was spectacular. He threw for
256 yards and two touchdowns, ending any semblance of a quarterback
controversy.
"We tried to play them initially as close to the same,"
Fulmer said. "But as time went on, Peyton mentally separated
himself."
Although Stewart appeared in every remaining game, Manning
was entrenched. He was the one whose play would generate countless
choruses of Rocky Top.
"Branndon and I became friends when we entered Tennessee
as true freshmen in 1994 and shared the challenges of trying to
become a successful quarterback at a high-profile school,"
said Manning, the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft by the Indianapolis
Colts. "He's a very good quarterback and athletic with a
lot of skills."
Stewart, who still talks to Manning occasionally, realized
he would have to leave Tennessee to show those skills. So he returned
home and was hailed as a star-to-be at A&M.
After sitting out a season in accordance with transfer rules,
he started all 12 games in 1996 but was inconsistent. He broke
multiple school records against Colorado by completing 34 of 64
passes for 385 yards but finished with only a 48.8 percent completion
mark. Slocum insists Stewart's supporting cast was inexperienced.
Nor did it help that Stewart was working with his second offensive
coordinator. No. 3 came last year. (Stewart now is working with
his fourth coordinator in five years as Steve Kragthorpe has replaced
Steve Marshall.)
Last year Stewart again struggled, and he lost his starting
job. But Randy McCown was no Peyton Manning. In his first career
start, against Texas Tech on Oct. 25, McCown completed just 2
of 8 passes for 7 yards.
Stewart relieved him and nearly pulled out a win to reclaim
the starting job. The next week, Stewart solidified his position.
Trailing Oklahoma State 22-7 midway through the fourth quarter,
he led the Aggies to two touchdowns and keyed a dramatic 28-25
win in overtime. He finished 18-of-33 for 226 yards and 1 TD.
"It showed Branndon what he can do, and it showed other
people what he can do, and with our team, it really elevated his
status," Slocum said. "I do think he took a leap in
confidence after that game."
Stewart looks to build upon it. He has worked on a quicker
release and has studied film to improve his completion percentage.
"He overcame a lot, and the pressure is off of him,"
star linebacker Dat Nguyen said. "He's ready to lead us to
a great season."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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