Saturday was probably the first time that casual Virginia football fans took notice of Heath Miller. Sure, he already was leading the team with two touchdown receptions. But against South Carolina, not only did he catch another touchdown, but he also threw one.
This year Miller has split his time with Patrick Estes at tight end, but in high school he was a dominant quarterback -- and, in fact, an all-around dominant athlete.
At Honaker High School in Swords Creek, Va., Miller was the team's star quarterback and safety, earning accolades such as Associated Press Player of the Year as a senior. In that senior season he threw for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns as well as producing 901 more yards on the ground. Miller twice received All-State honors at both quarterback and safety, not to mention his recognition as both an All-State first baseman and All-Region basketball forward.
But he came to Virginia for football. And to play tight end -- a position with which he was largely unfamiliar but ready to try.
Miller said the decision to move to tight end at Virginia was not difficult for him.
"I saw what the quarterback of this team has to go through in terms of scrutiny in the paper," he said. "It really wasn't that hard."
The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Miller certainly possessed the size to make the switch effectively, and he was perfectly willing to spend the time to learn his new position -- he redshirted his first year at the University.
"I thought [redshirting] was the best decision for me," he said. "I was learning a new position so I used the year to get bigger and to learn while playing on the scout team."
Development time is important, especially for someone coming to the ACC from a small, rural high school.
"With football players, there really is a difference between knowing what your job is and really knowing how to do it," coach Al Groh said. "Confidence is a result of demonstrated performance."
It is common for quarterbacks to convert to new positions at the next level -- most commonly to running back or wide receiver. Miller's size lent credence to his move to tight end.
To take advantage of such players' hidden talents, coaches often align them in the backfield for the famous halfback option -- a trick play where the running back has the option of running the ball or stopping short of the line of scrimmage and throwing the ball deep to an open receiver.
Asked about the possibility of his participation in such a play in a teleconference earlier last week, Miller only laughed at the suggestion. A tight end option? Never, Miller's laugh seemed to say.
Little did anyone know it was a knowing laugh, because Miller would soon put his past talents to use and star in one of Virginia's zaniest trick plays.
In the opening drive of the third quarter against South Carolina, Miller was lined up wide left as Virginia had driven to the Gamecock 20-yard line. Quarterback Matt Schaub took the snap and fired a pass to Miller, who had stepped several yards further behind the line of scrimmage. In this alignment, defenses are trained to defend against a screen pass and rush in to make the tackle. Instead, Miller fired a bullseye to a streaking Estes for a touchdown.
"I knew it was in the game plan," Miller said. "Coach Mike Groh told me before I went on the field that it was coming, so I was prepared for it. We practiced it a couple of times. It brought back some memories."
It also brought down the house as a rowdy Scott Stadium crowd erupted with cheers, solidifying Miller's legend early in his career as the star of the tight end option. But with his work ethic and dedication to improving all aspects of his game, it likely won't be his last impact on the Virginia football program.
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