Hokies haven't missed a tick with younger Vick
Boston College football coach Tom O'Brien didn't need to see Virginia Tech's 28-9 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at Maryland Thursday night to confirm what he already knew about his team's next opponents, the third-ranked Hokies: They're pretty good.
Oh, and one other thing: ''They don't change," O'Brien said yesterday. ''You could take a tape out and look at it today, sometimes the names change, but the style of play stays the same. They're very athletic and very fast and they get off blocks on defense and they close well. They're explosive on offense and, obviously, Vick took off and ran the ball a little bit more [Thursday night] than he has in the past, and they're always good on special teams.
''So, it's a typical Virginia Tech team."
The Vick to whom O'Brien referred was Marcus Vick, the younger brother of former Hokies phenom Michael Vick, now quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Against the Terrapins, Marcus looked like his brother in rushing for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown. Marcus also completed 14 of 23 passes for 211 yards.
''You look at them and they're both very athletic," O'Brien said when asked to compare the Vick brothers. ''They have strong arms and they can throw the football. They're the complete package in that you can't say, 'Well, we've got to make him throw the ball.' You can't say, 'We've got to force him out of the pocket and make him run.' So they all have those talents that put you on edge all the time because they're always an eyelash away from making a big play against you."
Hoping for the best
Senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who sat out BC's 35-30 victory over Wake Forest last Saturday with a sprained right knee, expressed hope Wednesday that he'd be back for BC's trip next week to Blacksburg, Va., saying, 'It's still questionable but the optimist in me is saying, 'Yeah, I'll be back.' " O'Brien, however, didn't seem to share his captain's optimism. ''I've got my fingers crossed, but I don't know if he'll make it on Thursday night," the coach said . . . O'Brien was hoping to get a better read on the availability of senior defensive tackle Al Washington (elbow) and senior cornerback Jazzmen Williams (quadriceps) after yesterday's practice . . . BC's abbreviated work week was pushed up by two days, making yesterday a Sunday for the coaching staff. While the players will have today off, O'Brien said he and his staff will spend time at the Yawkey Center preparing the game plan for the Hokies . . . One area to which O'Brien gave special emphasis during the week was the kicking game. ''That's one of the phases we've worked hard on: punting; punt return, where we've been getting a lot of penalties on our return game; and our field goal kicking," O'Brien said. ''We've spent a lot of time that we normally haven't during an off week situation on those three phases." Would it have anything to do with facing Virginia Tech and its ferocious special teams? ''Oh, we emphasize it, but a couple of years ago I came to the conclusion that you can paralyze yourself by doing it, too," O'Brien said. ''You just have to trust in your people and trust in your kids."Count him in
Jordon McMichael, a 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound tight end from Minneapolis, gave his verbal commitment earlier this week to the Eagles. McMichael, a high school teammate of BC wideout Brandon Robinson at the Breck School, was ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, and was recruited by Nebraska and Oklahoma. McMichael visited Norman, Okla., Sept. 2, Chestnut Hill Sept. 16, and Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 30, before going with BC, giving the Eagles an unprecedented 16 commitments this season . . . The Gridiron Club, BC's football booster group, made a special presentation Wednesday at the Yawkey Center to the program, fulfilling a 60-month obligation on a $100,000 pledge in only 16 months. ''It's a tribute to the members of the Gridiron Club," said club president Paul Criscione . . . Former BC defensive end Derric Rossy, a fledgling professional heavyweight boxer, extended his record to 9-0 (five by knockout) last night with a unanimous decision over David Polk at Mohegan Sun. Rossy was a 2004 Golden Gloves champion who compiled a 10-0 amateur record. ''He is an extremely dedicated athlete who trains harder than any fighter I have ever known," promoter Sal Musumeci said. ''Derric contributes his hard work ethic to his days at Boston College and the excellent football training he received from the coaching staff. He has already progressed to the ability of an eight-year fighter after only two years of boxing."
