The question posed to Paul Pasqualoni stumped the Syracuse coach.
Coach: “If you had your choice between Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick and the Miami defense, which would you choose?”
“That’s a tough question,” said Pasqualoni. “Miami’s got a great defense. Michael Vick is probably the best quarterback in the nation. It’s like being a kid in candy store [choosing between those two].”
Is that your final answer? No, the final answer will come on Nov. 4 when the Hurricanes host the Hokies. The winner probably will claim the Big East Conference title and could possibly find itself in the national championship hunt.
The Hurricanes and Hokies are as different as Bush and Gore. Miami’s defense could be the nation’s best. Tech must find eight new starters on that side of the ball.
Tech has the nation’s most exciting player in the 6-foot-1, 214-pound Vick, who is truly a freak of nature. He’s a natural righty who throws lefty. He’s been clocked at 4.25 in the 40 and can squat 515 pounds. Vick, 20, hasn’t played organized baseball since he was 14 yet the Colorado Rockies took him in the 30th round of the amateur draft just because of his God-given athleticism.
“I’ve never had more people ask me about any athlete we’ve had in this league,” said Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese. “His performance last year, especially in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State with the nation watching, has made him a phenomenon.”
Ah, that sweet performance in the Sugar Bowl. Tech racked up 502 yards in total offense. Vick accounted for 322 of those yards.
The Seminoles were in awe of Vick after the game. Just as the Syracuse Orangemen were awe of Vick after he rolled right and fired a 40-yard strike to Andre Davis on the left hashmark. And the West Virginia Mountaineers still haven’t figured out how Vick escaped up the right sideline for a 26-yard gain that set up Shayne Graham’s game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired.
Even Vick is impressed by Vick.
“All the time,” said Vick. “I do it all the time. I’ll be watching some game film and I’ll see a play I made and I just can’t imagine how I did that.”
Imagine this: A team winning 58 straight games at home. Fifty-eight! That’s what Miami did from 1985-94, setting an NCAA record. But then the ‘Canes got nabbed by the NCAA, which levied some heavy sanctions against them for a variety of violations.
Senior linebacker Dan Morgan from Coral Springs, Fla., saw the rise and fall of the program that had captured his heart. He signed with Miami determined to restore the program among the nation’s elite. He’s made an astonishing 394 tackles, but he has yet to experience a win over Virginia Tech, or FSU.
“That’s why I came here, to help us back to the glory days” said Morgan. “This year we have a good shot because we have all the talent in the world. We haven’t beaten Virginia Tech or Florida State since I’ve been here. This is the year we’ve got to do it.”
Morgan is right. Miami has all the talent in the world, especially on defense. Damione Lewis is the next great Miami defensive lineman, following in the footsteps of Jerome Brown, Russell Maryland and Warren Sapp. The secondary, led by Al Blades, brother of Bennie, is the best in the nation.
It seems like unlikely that a school other than Miami or Tech can win the Big East. Syracuse might have the second best defense in the conference behind Miami but uncertainty at quarterback leaves the Orangemen short.
Pittsburgh has made great strides under Walt Harris and BC has done likewise under Tom O’Brien. The Panthers have the best receiving tandem in the conference in Latef Grim and Antonio Bryant. Now they need to settle on a quarterback and improve the defense. BC has the quarterback in Tim Hasselbeck, brother of Matt, but the defensive front seven has to be rebuilt.
The Big East has five bowl spots this year, including one in the BCS. The national title game will be played at the Orange Bowl. Tech or Miami could be there.
