Over the last several weeks, many Cavalier fans have been especially quick to criticize the Virginia football team, especially the quarterback. But as people also have discovered, that type of criticism is not unique to Charlottesville.
Virginia Tech freshman quarterback Michael Vick was certainly subject to criticism after the Clemson-Virginia Tech football game. Vick threw three interceptions against the Tigers, which caused many Hokie fans to dismiss Vick as a freshman who was going to make plenty of mistakes.
So, where was that freshman against the Cavaliers?
Vick did not look at all like an uncomfortable freshman in Virginia Tech's 31-7 shellacking of Virginia Saturday. He looked like a very confident, very poised athlete who was in complete control of the situation.
"I just settled down and relaxed," Vick said. "I tried to not do it all by myself, and I can feel myself getting more comfortable. Every snap, I did better."
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer agreed.
"I thought he was very much in control," Beamer said. "He was very calm. He knew what to do with the football. He's got a very bright future."
With 222 yards and one touchdown pass, Vick definitely did better than his combined 198 yards in the previous three games.
Vick also threw his first touchdown pass in Saturday's game - a long home-run pass to wide receiver Andre Davis at 9:13 in the first quarter. The pass, which looked a little overthrown, found Davis perfectly.
"I kind of thought that I overthrow [Andre], but he runs a 4.2," Vick said. "You can't overthrow a guy who runs a 4.2."
"It was a great throw," Beamer said. "It was a great catch. It was huge. It really sets the tone, and it wins ball games like this."
Vick also threw a 50-yard bomb to Davis and a 25-yard pass to running back Shyrone Stith, both in the second half - surprising the Cavalier defenders.
"I was really surprised at those big passes," inside linebacker William Clark said. "We were expecting him to run more, pass out of the option. Instead he resorted to the big plays and it worked well for him."
According to Virginia Tech, however, the long passes were not a surprise at all.
"We knew that we could get the ball down the field that way, after watching their corners on tape," Vick said. "Coach Bustle [offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach] did a great job of calling the plays this week. He called those long passes. Every play was called on time, and I think that was the key to my success."
Vick's performance Saturday was even more impressive given that he came back from an ankle injury in the middle of the second quarter to play the entire second half. The injury drastically reduced Vick's mobility.
"The more and more I sat down on the bench, the more and more my ankle was bothering me," he said. "When I went into halftime, the pain wore off a little. But I really couldn't move around in the second half."
Beamer's decision to put Vick in given his limited movement might seem a little risky. However, to Beamer, the Hokies really didn't have a choice.
"We knew that we couldn't run him," he said. "But we needed him in there for leadership. We didn't think about sitting him down."
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