Martin Hankins will start at quarterback for the University of Memphis in Thursday’s game at Arkansas State, but how much will he play? How much should he play?

Hankins struggled at UCF in the 56-20 loss that sent fans scurrying to vent on message boards and talk shows. Although Tiger coach Tommy West refused to blame Hankins, callers to the sports talk shows directed their criticism at Hankins, who they said is incapable of throwing a deep ball.

Thursday will be an interesting test for Hankins. If he encounters problems again, West won’t hesitate to go with Will Hudgens, who has started in the past. West also is gaining confidence in redshirt freshman Matt Malouf, who has become a playmaker in his limited time.

They say no one’s more popular than the backup quarterback. What’s the policy on the No. 3 quarterback?

Malouf, whose only pass has been for a short touchdown, has rushed for two touchdowns and shown extremely good patience and vision.