As Bud Foster Prepares to Slow UT's Potent Offense, He Sees Echoes of Brett Hundley in Josh Dobbs

How do you slow down the preseason favorite to win the SEC East and a popular pick to make the playoff? The task is daunting.

Luckily for the Hokies, Bud Foster is no stranger to slowing down potent offenses. But that's not to say that he doesn't have plenty issues to sort through on his defense before he can think about how to neutralize Tennessee.

One of the burning questions to be answered lies at cornerback. With Adonis Alexander returning from his one-game suspension, Foster will have to sort through how he fits in with Brandon Facyson and Greg Stroman. Stroman's two-interception performance against Liberty in place of Alexander certainly makes that task a bit more daunting, and Foster isn't giving away his plans just yet.

"We're gonna see how these guys practice this week," Foster said. "I think what it allows us to do is give us three quality players at that spot. As the games go along, we've got three dynamic guys and three really good players. I think we can rotate those guys through like we do at (our) defensive position, keeping people fresh. But we'll see how practice goes.

"Adonis really practiced well during camp just like the other guys. We're excited to have him back. We'll just see how it plays out. We're planning on playing all three of those guys. We'll probably start out the way we started the (Liberty) game, at least in my mind right now. We'll go from there. But I like having him back. He gives us some quality depth now with three really good players at that position."

While Facyson noted that Stroman "played a great game," he'll certainly be glad to have Alexander back on the field as well.

"Greg always impresses me," Facyson said. "It's nothing that we're surprised about. Greg's a great player. Adonis is a great player. The whole team has playmakers. That's what we're here for. It wasn't surprising. Each game, the next game is the most important. We're past Liberty and we're on to Tennessee."

Indeed, Foster has fully turned his attention to slowing down the Volunteers.

QB Josh Dobbs might not have looked especially impressive in his opening matchup with Appalachian State — he went 16 of 29 for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception — but Foster said he sees a bit of former UCLA QB Brett Hundley in Dobbs "as far as his ability to run and create with the ball in his hands."

For fans with memories of Hundley tormenting Foster's defense in the Sun Bowl back in 2013, that comparison should certainly be striking, and the longtime DC asserted that he's certainly not taking the Vols lightly even after their shaky start.

"You've gotta give Appy State some credit, too," Foster said. "They played really, really well I thought. But I also thought, compared to what I saw last year, Tennessee was very vanilla. We're expecting to see a little bit more of what they did last year in this ballgame. And we're gonna see a team, you know teams usually improve the most from week one to week two, I think we'll see a much more improved football team.

"But it's not about them. We've got a lot of respect for those guys and what they do in the program. But we've gotta have a great week of practice ourselves. We've gotta be ready for a physical ballgame. What we saw on this past Thursday compared to what they did last year, as far as the power football game, didn't see that quite as much as you saw last year. That's what I'm expecting on this coming Saturday."

The Hokies will surely be motivated knowing that Frank Beamer will be present in Bristol. Beamer took the time to call Foster and DL coach Charley Wiles on Friday, something Foster recognized as "really special," given that his daughter was about to go into labor.

"I'm sure it's gonna be exciting for Coach (Beamer)," Foster said. "It's really exciting for me. He called myself, and he called Charley last week on Friday to wish us luck. That was really special for me that he would take the time and do that. Particularly, his daughter, she was getting induced to labor in like two hours. I'm sure it was bittersweet for him, not being able to be here for this kickoff game, but also having a grandchild. I can, from experience, tell you there's nothing like that. I'm sure he's gonna be excited to be at Bristol. He's a big, big part of why we're there. Without a doubt. He deserves to be there. I hope ESPN has him up on the podium and has him there talking (on) (College) GameDay and all that kind of stuff, 'cause he needs to be a part of it."

Bud Foster

ON HOW THEY HAVE PREPARED FOR THE ATMOSPHERE OF BRISTOL:

"We've been on a big stage before. Playing here in front of, it's gonna be about twice the crowd. We've been to Ohio State, we've been to Nebraska; this group hasn't, but we've been in some big venues. It's just going to be an exciting atmosphere, but it's played between the lines, not played up in the stands. That's what we're really emphasizing, right now, is making sure we're focused on what we can control and that's the football game. We can't control the 150,000 plus people, which is exciting. It's a great opportunity for us to play on the largest stage in the history of the game. But the bottom line is it's game two, and that's really where our focus is right now."

ON IF TENNESSEE QUARTERBACK JOSH DOBBS REMINDS HIM OF ANY PREVIOUS QUARTERBACKS HE'S FACED:

"He reminds me a lot of (Brett Hundley) at UCLA, to be honest with you. He might even throw it a little bit better. We played those guys in the Sun Bowl. As far as his ability to run and create with the ball in his hands. Been very, very impressed. Poise in the pocket, his ability to escape (pressure) and create when things aren't there. And then he's got a live arm and can throw it down the field. He's got a talented group around him. He doesn't have to do it himself. He's got a dynamic couple of running backs, he's got some dynamic receivers. I think the tight end will be one of the better players we face. You have about four, three and a half — (Brett Kendrick), their right tackle started some last year off and on. So you have, really three and a half starters back up front. They have a talented group. A group I'm sure is gonna come in and they're gonna be disappointed how they played. I'm sure their coaches have been after them since the other night. I think we're gonna see a big time football team and I hope a big time football team shows up for a big time game."

ON IF HE SEES AN OPPORTUNITY TO THROW A WRINKLE IN FOR TENNESSEE:

"I think the Ohio State game was a little bit different. Not that these guys aren't the same caliber, they are. What we tried to do in that particular game with the monster they had at quarterback, we're talking Braxton Miller. We thought we were gonna play against him. We put together a scheme and it worked that night. I'm gonna stick with what my mindset has been, we need more eyes on the football. We want to be very multiple. As you saw us last week, we were in bear front, our base front, we were in some 50 front. We were very multiple and we moved around a lot and jumped around a lot and changed up our coverages. That's what I want to get back to. Obviously you tweak certain things and your gameplan each week to what you see (that) their offense does. Hopefully we'll put together one that we can slow these guys down a little bit."

ON IF HE HAS ANY FAMILY THAT TELLS HIM ABOUT ANY AWARDS OR HONORS:

"That's all flattering. It goes back, to be honest with you, I've been fortunate to have some great coaches around me. I've been fortunate to have some really outstanding football players. Guys that believe in our system and believe in us and work extremely hard. I just reap the rewards of a lot of people when it's all said and done. Yeah, my mom, she'll call me. But I would too if that was my son or my daughter and what not. Some of those things are flattering, but those things are a group effort as much as anything."

ON IF HOUSHUN GAINES CAN BREAK INTO THE TWO-DEEP OR IF HE STILL NEEDS WORK:

"He's a guy that has great upside. He needs more work, though, right now. He's a guy that needs to be consistently good and perform at a consistent level. But he's a redshirt freshman. I still have high hopes for him, he's just gotta play a little more consistent. He's working that way."

Brandon Facyson

ON WHAT HAVING ADONIS ALEXANDER BACK WILL MEAN FOR THE SECONDARY:

"First, it means depth. Adonis (Alexander) is a great player. Ever since he's been here, he's been a great player. Just looking to get back this week and worry about us and get prepared for this game."

ON IF HE THOUGHT GREG STROMAN SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY WITH HIS PLAY ON SATURDAY:

"Greg (Stroman) played a great game. As far as depth chart-wise, I don't know what he's at. It's not my place to speak on it."

ON WHAT HE SEES ON FILM WITH TENNESSEE'S RECEIVERS:

"Big guys (that) go up and get the ball. (Josh Malone), (Preston Williams), (Josh Smith), they all have the capabilities to make a big play. That's what really stands out about them. They're just big guys that can go up and get the ball."

ON IF HE THOUGHT THE APP. ST. GAME WASN'T INDICATIVE ON HOW GOOD THEY ARE:

"I can't speak on that. I worry about what we're doing here. We're preparing for Tennessee."

ON THE CHALLENGES THAT JOSH DOBBS PRESENTS:

"Josh Dobbs is a great player. He's a mobile quarterback, but he can also stand in the pocket and deliver some strikes. You're playing against a team that you really have to focus in on what you need to do and read your keys on what you practiced throughout the week."

ON THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING IN BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY:

"It's a great opportunity. It's something that no one else has done before, playing in front of 150,000 people. We've played at big stages before at Ohio State. We don't treat this game any differently. The next game is the most important game, that's how we see it."

ON IF HE KNOWS ANYBODY ON THE TENNESSEE ROSTER:

"Alvin Kamara from Norcross (Georgia). Josh Dobbs, he played at Alpharetta (Georgia). I think Preston Williams played at Lovejoy. I don't personally know Preston, but I've met Josh Dobbs and know Alvin."

ON IF THEY CROSS PATHS IN THE OFFSEASON:

"I'm here most of the summer but, no, not really. We just know each other."

ON WORKING AGAINST HENRI MURPHY IN PRACTICE:

"Henri is definitely a blazer. Great player. He's gonna be a great player for us. I think he's definitely one of the fastest players on our team, without a doubt. If you line up against him, you're gonna get his best. If it's a take-off route, you're just gonna have to run with him."

ON IF HE SEES A LOT OF JET SWEEP IN PRACTICE:

"Not as much."

ON WHAT IT'S LIKE TO PLAY FOR BUD FOSTER:

"It's an honor, to be honest. I don't consider him one of the best, I consider him the best. That was a big reason why I wanted to come to Virginia Tech. Playing for Coach Foster, he wants the best out of you, always. On the field, off the field, in life. You do things off the field, you're bound to do the little things on the field. He teaches that, he preaches that over and over again. He's a great guy to learn from."

ON PLAYING MORE COVERAGES THIS YEAR:

"Giving the offense different looks is always a good thing. I can't really speak about that, it's what we do."

ON WHO HE THINKS WILL HAVE MORE FANS AT BRISTOL:

"I don't necessarily know. All I know is we each got 45,000 tickets apiece. Both sold out. I honestly don't even know. Whether or not it's a home field advantage for us or them, we're gonna play like we know how to play. We're gonna prepare like we're gonna prepare."

Vinny Mihota

ON WHAT HE SAW ON TAPE FROM TENNESSEE'S OFFENSIVE LINE:

"I saw a lot of things from them. I see a lot of things that tell you they're going to improve tremendously from week one to week two. We're just gonna have to prepare we're gonna get their best game."

ON PLAYING FOR BUD FOSTER:

"It's a tremendous honor. That's why I came here. The majority of the reason, anyways, was to play under a Bud Foster coached defense."

ON HIS ASSESSMENT OF HIS DAY AGAINST LIBERTY:

"I think I did alright. I made some plays. I definitely have room to grow and improve especially coming into this next week."

ON IF SHIFTING ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE IS GOING TO BE A BIG PART OF THIS DEFENSE:

"Yeah, we want to disguise what we're doing so they can't get a true read of what we're doing pre-snap. It messed up their reads and caused confusion."

ON IF HE FELT BAD FOR ALL OF THE FALSE STARTS:

"(Sam Isaacson's) a redshirt freshman in his first game in front of 65,000 people. He may never play a game that big again for years. I've made those mistakes. It kind of sucks. I felt like telling him we were going to (shift fronts).

ON IF SAM ISAACSON WAS SAYING ANYTHING AFTER THE PENALTIES:

"Just choice words."

"His guys were trying to get him right."

ON IF HE LIKED THE PRESSURE THEY GOT ON LIBERTY'S QUARTERBACKS:

"I think we got in their laps, caused some quick throws, some bad throws, over throws."

ON IF HIM STANDING UP TO RUSH IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR:

"Yeah, there's a lot more stand up. It gives us a better view of what's going on. Kind of gives us better pre-snap reads so we can understand what's going on before they do it."