BLACKSBURG--Round one of Virginia Tech's quarterback competition goes to Marcus Vick.

Well not really.

Vick made the most eagerly awaited debut in Hokies history yesterday, leading the White team to a 14-3 victory over the Bryan Randall-led Maroon squad in the annual spring football game at Lane Stadium.

But while the freshman from Newport News showed flashes of the talent that has Hokies fans drooling, Vick will likely enter fall workouts No. 2 on Virginia Tech's quarterback depth chart.

Randall entered the offseason as the incumbent after starting 12 games and amassing 2,600 yards of total offense as a sophomore. He has done nothing but solidify his grasp on the position with a near-flawless performance this spring.

"I thought both guys made plays," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "Bryan has a year of experience on Marcus, but Marcus has had a great spring and he's coming on fast."

Considering the hype surrounding Vick's unofficial collegiate debut, many of the 35,000 fans in attendance yesterday arrived expecting a passing of the quarterback torch. While Randall hears the whispers, he's not about to just hand Vick the job.

"I heard there were going to be some people here to see the quarterback controversy," he joked.

The junior from Williamsburg made a statement on the game's first offensive play, connecting with Chris Clifton for 36 yards on a perfectly thrown fly pattern. He completed nine of his first 13 passes and finished 12 of 21 for 149 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.

After being dogged by ill-timed miscues (12 interceptions, eight lost fumbles) in his first season as a starter, Randall played in four scrimmages and yesterday's 26-minute game without turning the ball over once.

"Overall I felt pretty good out there," Randall said. "We had some miscues with young guys on the offensive line who weren't really used to this kind of environment, but I thought we executed pretty well."

The game's lone turnover helped Vick and the White team get on the board first. Nic Schmitt's short punt bounced off a Maroon blocker and was recovered by the White, giving Vick a short field to work with at the Maroon 42.

After two runs by Mike Imoh and a 14-yard completion to Richard Johnson, Vick hooked up with Ernest Wilford on a 19-yard touchdown pass.