Young Virginia Tech Cornerbacks Play With Confidence

Sometimes you can’t just fake it till you make it. At least that’s how Virginia Tech cornerbacks coach Derek Jones looks at it.

Against North Carolina in the Hokies’ fifth game of the season, two true freshmen — Mansoor Delane and Cam Johnson — were called into action. And in their first collegiate games, both managed to have an impact. Delane finished with three tackles — two came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter, and one was a tackle for loss — while Johnson had two.

Jones said he wasn’t surprised that the two young guys had immediate impacts; they played like they belonged.

“I tell those guys in that room all the time, it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior,” Jones said on Thursday. “When you’re out there, nobody cares. The other team doesn’t say, ‘OK, let’s throw the ball over here a little bit less because it’s a freshman.’ So I teach those guys to prepare every day like they’re a starter. And I have to coach those guys every day like they’re a starter. They get a different amount of reps depending on where they are on the depth chart, but I have to make sure that they lock in and that they understand the same thing that the guys that are starting.

“I think that both of those young men have done a good job in doing that since the time they’ve been in my room. And even though they’re not there yet, even though they have high ceilings or whatever, I’m very comfortable putting them out there right now. Because it’s only going to make them better sooner.”

Overall, it wasn’t a fun trip to Chapel Hill for Jones and his group. UNC quarterback Drake Maye completed 26 of his 36 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Tech’s No. 1 corner, Dorian Strong, missed the game due to a hand injury suffered against West Virginia. Meanwhile, Armani Chatman, the No. 2 corner, suffered an injury in-game. Brion Murray had to play more snaps than usual as a result, and it also threw the young players into the fire.

It wasn’t a gratifying performance from the defensive backs, but as Jones put it, “You can either mope about it or move on.” And the freshmen played with confidence, which he expected.

He described Delane as an extremely athletic kid with a high-football IQ. The Silver Spring, Md. native started in the safety room with Pierson Prioleau but made the transition to cornerback during the season and had to learn on the fly. He’s done well enough to earn himself some playing time, as has Johnson.

“He’s a natural,” Jones said of Delane. “He has really good coverage ability, he’s a very aggressive kid. And the thing I’ll say, he’s a good football player. And anytime you’ve got a good football player, you know if you put a kid in those situations he’s going to show up. … I was looking forward to him getting into the game and he didn’t disappoint.”

Most of all, Delane didn’t try to fake it till he made it. Neither did Johnson. They just played like they know how.

“I think they’re playing with a high level of confidence right now, which is what you have to have if you play that position,” Jones said. “You can’t fake it. You can’t pretend to have it. Because it’s going to be exposed if you don’t. And I think when you talk about playing cornerback, mentality is the No. 1 attribute that you have to have, because things are not always going to go your way.

“I tell them all the time: those guys on the opposite side are on scholarship, too, for a reason. So those guys are going to make plays. But you have to make sure that you make more plays than they make against you, and I think those guys have grasped the mindset.”

North Carolina arguably has the most challenging set of receivers on Virginia Tech’s schedule. The Tar Heels rank 12th in the country in passing offense. Tech also did well to defend Zay Flowers of Boston College in the second game of the year. The other remaining ACC passing attacks on the slate are Miami (No. 41), NC State (58), Pitt (59), Duke (72), Virginia (94) and Georgia Tech (115).

The Panthers will pose a challenge before the Canes venture to Blacksburg next week, but Jones believes in his guys, no matter the experience level. And like Pitt, Virginia Tech plays man coverage the majority of the time, meaning it comes down to winning those one-on-one battles.

“I think they’ve got a very versatile group,” Jones said of Pitt’s receivers. “They spread the ball around pretty good. No. 14 [Konata Mumpfield] is the guy that’s gotten the bulk of the catches or whatever, but I think each one of those guys, when you watch them on film, brings athleticism to the board. … But everybody we play in this league is going to have big outside receivers. That’s something that you’ve got to get accustomed to.”

“We have to, as a unit, allow our defense to be able to play coverage, because if you can’t play man coverage, you’re going to be a vulnerable defense. There’s no way you can call a zone coverage the entire football game against a good quarterback and good wide receivers and expect to be effective. … Hopefully they’re up for the challenge.”