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SECONDARY IS PRIMARY;Hosley and Exum fit nicely into Hokies' proud tradition ...Hokies
College football: In Hokie defensive scheme, secondary is always primary
BLACKSBURG An autographed picture of Brandon Flowers hangs on the wall of Virginia Tech's defensive backs meeting room.
It's an action shot of Flowers, a Tech cornerback from 2005-07, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Hokies' current defensive backs see it whenever they convene for meetings, and it serves as a reminder of the tradition they try to uphold.
Tech produced an All-American defensive back in eight of the past 11 seasons. In 2006, the Hokies hired Torrian Gray, their former all-conference safety, as defensive backs coach. Gray asks his players who end up in the NFL to send him an autographed picture so he can put it in the meeting room. Gray also has his NFL jersey, from playing in 1997 and 1998 with the Minnesota Vikings, framed on his office wall.
In last Saturday's 41-30 win at North Carolina State, Gray's inexperienced players demonstrated their potential to play like their predecessors. Sophomore cornerback Jayron Hosley, a first-year starter, intercepted three passes and broke up four others. Redshirt freshman free safety Antone Exum, a Deep Run High graduate who plays often as a fifth defensive back, broke up five passes.
Those performances helped the Hokies survive despite N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson (Collegiate School) completing 21 of 49 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns.
"This just shows that, again, this is still DB-U," said junior free safety Eddie Whitley, also a first-year starter. "We recruit big-time players. And when we get here, we look for nothing less but the best."
The secondary has been tested this season. Through five games, the Hokies' opponents are averaging 34 passing attempts against them. Saturday's home game against Central Michigan figures to be no different. The Chippewas are throwing 37 times a game.
Gray understands his players will experience hiccups. But they way they recovered from them against N.C. State showed how good this group can be.
In the second quarter, Hosley let receiver Jay Smith run a slant and catch a 15-yard pass on fourth down and 9 at Tech's 30-yard line. Hosley should have played an inside leverage technique and forced Smith toward the sideline.
"We need to get off the field on that play," Gray said.
It was one of just two mistakes Hosley made in the game. And on the very next play, he demonstrated why Gray says he thinks he could end up being an All-American.
Wilson went to Smith again, lobbing a pass to him in the end zone. Hosley timed his leap perfectly and poked the ball away.
"When the ball's in the air, it's anybody's ball," Hosley said. "Nobody's name is on the ball. That's how I look at it."
Gray works with his players on defending lob passes. But in third quarter, Hosley made a play, probably his best of the game, which required balance and agility that is impossible to acquire in practice.
On a second and 17, he shadowed receiver Steven Howard, who juked toward the sideline, then inside, then back toward Wilson.
Hosley stayed with Howard, pirouetted 360 degrees, planted and dove to knock down what would've been a 13-yard completion.
"I wish I could say that I taught him all those things," Gray said. "There's some attributes that you either have or you don't. That's why everybody can't play defensive back."
Gray said Exum isn't as much of a natural. Gray must spend extra time meeting with him to fix his mistakes. But Exum is a "freaky" athlete, Gray said.
So Gray has him cover receivers one-on-one, as a corner usually would, even though Exum, a 6-0 219-pounder, is bigger than a typical corner.
Wilson targeted him often on Saturday and beat him several times. Exum's best play was nullified by an illegal formation penalty on N.C. State. But he still made it.
On third and 9 in the third quarter, he ran stride for stride with Jarvis Williams. Exum's back was to Wilson, but when he saw Williams' eyes look for the ball, he turned his head and jabbed his arm upward to deflect what would have been a 40-yard completion.
"Playing a deep ball, to me, is the hardest thing for a defensive back to do on any level," Gray said. "You've got to be great in those situations."
Contact Darryl Slater
at (804) 649-6026 or dslater@timesdispatch.com
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