Virginia Tech Secondary Prepares for Braxton Miller and No. 1 Buckeyes

In need of a complete view of the field, Virginia Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray coaches from the box. As a result, Gray isn't always able to fully experience the pandemonium that ensues within the walls of Lane Stadium, but Gray didn't mince words on his expectations for the atmosphere his defensive backs will experience on Labor Day night.

"I expect to see a crowd that's in a frenzy," Gray said with a smile. "I expect it to be rowdy and a lot of fun."

So while breaking in true freshman Mook Reynolds and Adonis Alexander against an FCS opponent may have been a more comfortable experience for all involved, Gray believes his freshman will be ready if their number is called on Labor Day night.

"They're guys with abilities, but experience is the best teacher, and they don't have any experience," said Gray. "So I'm confident in their abilities. The experience part makes me nervous a little bit with those guys. But they've got to get it at some point if they're called on to play. They've got to do what's expected, do a great job."

While Reynolds expects to have some typical pregame nerves, he'll rely on the counseling of older players like Kendall Fuller to get him through his first collegiate game.

"It's going to be a big scene," said Reynolds. "I know just with the magnitude of the game, it's going to be big...They just said come out and execute everything you've been taught. Don't get away from your technique. Don't get away from just, at the end of the day, it's football. Don't make the moment bigger than it is."

In their 2014 win over the Buckeyes, the Hokies' defense repeatedly placed their cornerbacks on islands and dared Ohio State to win one-on-one battles on the outside in order to move the ball. With the Buckeyes now renowned running game absent early in the season, the Hokies' secondary won the majority of battles on the outside, and consequently, won the game. Not willing to give the Ohio State coaching staff even the slightest advantage just a week before the rematch, Gray remained understandably tight-lipped about this year's defensive game plan.

"We don't want to make it real easy for them," said Gray. "We may play more zone and help those guys out. We could be very dangerous and play a lot more man. You've got to mix it up a little bit. You can only live on the edge so long before it hurts you. They've got good players."

But don't mistake Gray's hesitation to reveal this year's scheme as a lack of confidence in his unit. The leader of "D-Block" has absolutely no qualms in placing Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson in one-on-one coverage again.

"You got to have the courage to put those guys out there and do certain things to stop certain teams," said Gray. "I feel confident with the guys that we have."

Much of the pre-season talk surrounding Ohio State has centered around the suspensions of defensive end Joey Bosa and receivers/H-Backs Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith, and Dontre Wilson. To make matters even worse, it was announced last week that Noah Brown, an expected starter at wide receiver, will miss the entire season. So while questions of who will step up are circulating throughout Columbus, Coach Gray doesn't expect much of a drop-off from the Buckeyes' backups.

"They've lost some players for whatever reason, but they recruited well," said Gray. "They've got great players. This is just an opportunity for guys to step up."

And while concerns around Ohio State's depth on the outside may be legitimate, they could be eased by the fact that former quarterback Braxton Miller appears poised for a bounceback senior season as an H-Back for the Buckeyes.

He's (Miller) a 225 pound, he's a big athlete. Dynamic with the ball in his hands," said Gray. "I'm sure they'll have creative ways of using him, so we've got to be aware. They can run different things with him from all aspects. They can put him at quarterback. They can run gadgets with him out wide or him running the ball and doing certain things."

Unfortunately for the Hokies, 225 pound playmakers with the throwing and running ability of Miller are tough to simulate in practice.

"We don't quite have anybody that's like Braxton Miller," laughed Gray. "Our scout guys give us the best look they can and then we just got to go out and execute on Monday."

But with preparation for the season opener dating all the way back to last winter, Brandon Facyson has no doubt that the Hokies will be fully prepared for anything Braxton Miller might throw at them.

"He's a playmaker. He's probably one of the top guys on the field in college football," said Facyson. "Tremendous athlete, great player. You can put him anywhere on the field and he'll make an impact. Going against a guy like that is definitely something you have to prepare for. But we'll be prepared."

Additional Quotes

Torrian Gray

ON WHEN THEY STARTED PREPARING FOR OHIO STATE:

"You can start in the winter. You finish your bowl game, get some down time and you start looking at the team. Obviously, we played those guys last year so you're trying to see what you did right and what you can improve on."

Brandon Facyson

ON PLAYING ON AN ISLAND:

"If that's the plan, we'll be able to do that. We've thrown in a couple things. Our game plan is our game plan...I guess you'll just have to see on Monday."

ON GETTING BACK INTO SHAPE:

"Over the summer doing some drills with the other DB's. Just getting that confidence back out to make cuts and not really think about it. First weekend of fall camp it was just natural. I didn't really think about it at all....when you start to think about it too much, things start to happen and you start to doubt yourself a little bit. But that was never really the case for me."

Mook Reynolds

ON WATCHING LAST YEAR'S GAME FROM HOME:

"I liked our scheme that we had. I feel like we were well prepared. For every punch they had, we had a counter-punch...I feel like this year, it's pretty much going to be the same. Our scheme is going to be maybe a little better because we've had longer to prepare from what we saw last year where we could have been better. We've had time to fix those errors. The scheme is one of the best in the nation and coach Foster is one of the best coaches. I know we're going to be ready."

ON HIS MENTALITY FOR OHIO STATE:

"The mentality I have now is if I go in here and perform top-of-the-line and prove that I can play with these guys, I should have no problem throughout college and through the rest of the season."

ON ADVICE FROM OLDER PLAYERS:

"Just grow up within the game. You're going to be young, you're going to go out there a little nervous, but after a while you've got to pick up, got to be poised. Don't look like a freshman is pretty much the goal. Just play football."