Tech's Secondary Looks to Build on Purdue Performance, Make Amends for East Carolina Stumble in 2014

Between alley run responsibilities and the rover's role in coverage, defensive backs coach Torrian Gray had his plate full last week scrambling to prepare true freshman Adonis Alexander for his first career start.

"He was probably tired of me by the end of last week from trying to get on him and get him ready in the meetings," laughed Gray.

But after Alexander notched 7 tackles and tracked down a game-sealing interception, the pair ought to be on good terms moving forward.

"Unbelievably pleased," said Gray of Alexander's impactful performance. "Wasn't very comfortable (going in) because he's a true freshman and didn't have that experience, but he played over his head...He was unbelievable."

So while Gray may not have expected Adonis Alexander to play that well, defensive coordinator Bud Foster wasn't the least bit surprised.

"He's probably right where he is," said Foster of his preseason expectations for Alexander. "All he's done is scratch the surface with his potential. He's still learning every day. This week we're doing a couple little things, little wrinkles. That's something that he's gotta take that next step. Still, as far as ability goes, and potential, he's a special guy."

Alexander's interception, a play that saw him traverse more than half the field, stuck out in particular to Foster.

"The range is great," Foster said. "The one interception the indicators and the profile was all pass. We wanted to get him more into the middle of the field. That showed his ability and his range — to go from one hash all the way to the bottom of the numbers where he caught the ball."

Alexander, in just his third collegiate game, attributed the interception to a pre-snap read, not something you typically hear from a freshman.

"I looked at the offset guard. He was in a pass position, leaning back up high. So I knew it was pass, so I already got lined up. And then as soon as the quarterback hiked it, he looked straight to his one receiver," said Alexander as his eyes lit up.

And the rest is history.

But despite Alexander's early impact on the Hokies' secondary, he was far from a high-profile recruit, largely a byproduct of his lukewarm take on recruiting camps.

"I wasn't good at drills," said Alexander. "I didn't want to do drills, footwork. My footwork wasn't where it needed to be, so I just stayed away from the camps and let my performance on the field get me recruited."

The Hokies will likely need every bit of Adonis Alexander this weekend in Greenville as they take on a pass-oriented East Carolina team. And after the Pirates completed deep ball after deep ball last year against the normally stout Virginia Tech back end, Gray expects his unit to be beyond ready when Saturday rolls around.

"Anytime a team has success that they had on us last year, we know we gotta hone in and focus in more and put ourselves in a position to win the game," said Gray. "We didn't do that last year."

While practice this week has certainly featured a heavy dosage of deep balls, cornerback Kendall Fuller isn't ready to admit that the Hokies game week preparation has been anything but normal.

"I don't think we work on it just because of ECU," said Fuller. "As defensive backs, you gotta be able to play the deep ball. That's something we've worked on since camp."

Virginia Tech's secondary can take solace in the fact that former quarterback Shane Carden and record-setting wide receiver Justin Hardy are no longer in Greenville. But new starting quarterback Blake Kemp — and his dangerous group of receivers — still present similar challenges to the Hokies' defense.

"He (Kemp) gets rid of the ball fast. That's part of the structure of their offense," said Gray. "We tried to press them last year. Carden gets rid of the ball, he gets rid of the ball fast. They'll throw it deep, they'll stretch it horizontally. They have a good system of what they're doing."

Cornerback Brandon Facyson took the brunt of last year's criticism following the loss to East Carolina, and that memory is still fresh in his mind.

"I look forward to this game." said Facyson. "...This is a game where I feel like I gave up a lot of plays. I didn't make a lot of plays. A lot of it being I wasn't completely healthy, but I'm back 100% so we'll see how it goes."

So will this Saturday be personal for Facyson and the Hokies? Certainly sounds like it.

"We take it really personally," said Facyson. "Anytime a team can complete that many passes on you and passing yards on you, you don't just take that lightly...You just kind of gotta go with it and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Additional Quotes

Torrian Gray

ON IF ADONIS ALEXANDER IS HIS STARTING ROVER:

"He has a role. He's our nickel safety and eventually as he continues to learn and progress, because he has to know the whole defense and do certain things. But in the roles he did last week, he was great. As he learns more, he'll play more."

Kendall Fuller

ON ADONIS ALEXANDER:

"Definitely impressed. He's got a lot of talent and just to see him go out there and execute and make his plays and things like that, definitely good to see for our defense."

Brandon Facyson

ON BECOMING MORE COMFORTABLE COMING OFF AN INJURY:

"I feel like I've been progressing each week. Last week, I felt a lot more comfortable. I haven't played in like a year or so, so it took me a little bit just to get back in the rhythm of things, actual game speed. But I do feel like I've been getting a lot more comfortable."

ON IF HE GETS THROWN AT MORE PLAYING OPPOSITE OF KENDALL FULLER:

"I don't really pay attention to it. I don't really care, to be honest. They gotta throw the ball somewhere, so if it's to my side I'm gonna try my best to make a play on it."

Chuck Clark

ON ADONIS ALEXANDER:

"I've been very impressed with Adonis since he came in during the wintertime. You could see the strides that he was making back then and since all through summer and fall camp he's been making more and more strides. He's a really good player. He's gonna be real great."

Adonis Alexander

ON HIS GROWTH MENTALLY:

"I feel like I'm learning the defense more. Before I wasn't really too sure of the plays and stuff, but now it's coming to me. It's getting more easy to understand."

ON WORKING AT CORNERBACK IN THE SPRING:

"It helps a lot. I really wasn't a big press guy in high school, so playing corner, it allowed me to go against the outside receivers, faster receivers. Learn more techniques. It definitely helped a lot."

ON ENROLLING EARLY/DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPRING AND FALL PRACTICE:

"During the spring, that's when we get a lot of the drills in practice. Now we're just game planning...I feel like we focus more on the fundamental areas during spring. That's the big part I needed to add to my game."