As Norfolk State starts its MEAC conference slate, Michael Vick is relying on quarterback Otto Khuns to give the team the bost it need to power them to success. Per Vick's comments on the MEAC Coaches Call, he believes that this will be Khun's “most important five games of his life.”
“This is a very important five weeks for Otto [Khuns]… it's probably the most important five games of his life, you know, out of all the games that he's played and so he has a chance to you know define his story, write his own story, in the next couple weeks.”
Khun's story this season has already been interesting. He initially wasn't QB1 to start the season despite his tenure on the team. Heading into Week 1, Vick chose to start USF transfer Israel Carter. But, he had a lot of praise for Otto, indicating that he needed to be ready
“Otto's a guy that's gonna be very serviceable. He's got a lot of experience and at the same time's gonna push Izzy, they're gonna push one another. The whole group is gonna push each other. That's why Israel was brought here. He was brought here with a goal in mind, and that's to go out and try to be the best player that he can be.”
But Carter struggled immensely at the start of the season, prompting Vick to put in Khuns to lead the offense. Khuns being QB1 was the right decision, as he's had a solid season despite Norfolk State's 1-6 record. He's accumulated 1,355 passing yards and 8 touchdowns in the games he's played this season, including a 340 yard effort against Sacred Heart.
What happened in the out-of-conference matchup, Vick believes, is just the preseason as Vick considers the MEAC games the regular season.
“I just told them let's just look at it like it was our trial run, that was our preseason, it's over with, and now we can move forward. We know what we can do, we know what we got, and now it's time to lock in and just have fun.”
Now, for Vick, Khuns and the rest of the Norfolk State team, it's all about finishing the season strong.
“Ultimately for us is about just finishing…finishing is what we we kind of honing in on right now because that's what we're lacking. You know, we come out start fast which is what we preach, but you know it's not how you start, it's how you finish in anything.”
