For the most famous sibling in college football, it’s been a long road back to the top.
When Marcus Vick decided to attend Virginia Tech, most Hokie fans anticipated the second coming of his superstar brother Michael, the current quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.
“I’m not Mike,” Marcus said. “I do some things different, some things the same, but I’m not him.”Despite the high expectations, things began to go downhill for Vick following his redshirt freshman season. He threw two touchdowns and five interceptions, while seeing action in 11 games in 2003 and was then named Bryan Randall’s backup prior to the 2004 season.
Before the season began though, Vick ran into trouble with the law. He was arrested twice and pled guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and in a separate incident, pled guilty to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession. Subsequently, Vick was suspended for the fall semester and was dropped to third on the team’s depth chart.
After returning to school, however, a rejuvenated Vick wowed the Hokies’ coaching staff in spring practices and was named the team’s starting quarterback. Since then, Vick has emerged as the leader of the reigning-ACC champions and has expressed a desire to finally get back onto the football field.
“Not playing an actual game in a while, that’s not really big,” Vick said. “Every day at practice is like a game—it’s nothing unusual.”Vick will lead an offense that was ranked second in the ACC in points per game last season and features one of the most dangerous crop of wideouts in the country. Receivers Eddie Royal and Josh Hyman headline a corps that head coach Frank Beamer has heralded as the best in his tenure. Their speed should spread out defenses and leave Vick with room to run. In addition, tight end Jeff King is coming off of a four-touchdown season and will be the Hokies go-to guy in short yardage situations.
“We pick stuff up real well,” Vick said. “We go out there fighting. Things are going real good.”
The team’s biggest question mark will be its relatively inexperienced offensive line, which could have trouble containing some of the ACC’s premier pass-rushers. Should anyone on the line go down, Vick could be forced to scramble more, which would increase the risk of a serious injury.
Virginia Tech’s biggest game-changing threat will continue to be its special teams unit, which has consistently led the NCAA in blocked punts and kicks. In their 18 years of playing “Beamer Ball,” the Hokies have blocked 105 kicks, 18 of which have been returned for touchdowns.
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