‘Dog mentality’: K-State’s Alexander already bringing the hammer to Wildcats’ defense
Jonathan Alexander has been broken down, so that’s why he is walking tall in Manhattan.
Alexander is a first-year junior college transfer defensive back from Kilgore College, just east of Tyler, Texas. He joined Kansas State knowing he would have to work his way through the depth chart. Saturday, he found himself in the end zone.
Alexander stripped and ran back a fumble 25 yards as part of the Wildcats’ 49-14 season-opening win over Nicholls at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It was the third-longest play of the game. When he looked back at the film, he thought of his junior college days.
He practiced stripping the ball every day before practice, and after he picked it up, the coaches would get onto him if he jogged into the end zone instead of sprinting. He said Kilgore will breed an aggressive edge into you if you don’t come with it.
“It really took me to the gutter,” Alexander said. “That’s why I feel like I’m the best at everything. That place humbled me. I know I can accomplish anything. I’ve been at the bottom, so I wanna feel what the top’s like.”
He walked into Tuesday’s news conference with a sledgehammer that read “Dog Mentality” on the side. Alexander said he brought it with him to all his classes.
Skylar Thompson, starting junior quarterback and captain, handed the hammer to Alexander after the win. The Wildcats’ captains hand out six hammers to anyone on the roster after a big performance. Other honors include, “Relentless,” “Accountability” and “Make a big play.”
Denzel Goolsby is one of the K-State captains. A senior safety, Goolsby said recognition for big plays is important; it shows everyone cares and appreciates what they have to offer.
“So much goes into what’s on the field and what’s in making those big plays,” he said. “We want to be able to highlight not only the guys that are out there but also who was the great team leader this week, who contributed on scout team and really helped us prepare?”
Alexander said to earn a hammer after his first game is a special honor he didn’t take lightly. He will have to give it back heading into K-State’s Week 2 game at home against Bowling Green at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Coach Chris Klieman raved about Alexander’s tenacity at Tuesday’s conference. He said Alexander is an “impact guy.”
“He’s learning our defense; he’s learning the way we do things around here,” Klieman said. “We saw it all spring, too, as far as the big-play capability. ... I’m excited because the longer he’s with us, the longer he practices, the more he understands, the better he’s going to be.
“I know one thing: Jonathan’s got a lot of pride and wants to be great. We’re going to continue to challenge him because for us to be successful, he has to be a playmaker.”
He finished his first game with three tackles, which was tied for third among all K-State defenders. And he was responsible for one of the two turnovers. Junior cornerback A.J. Parker snared an interception early in the first quarter for the other takeaway.
Alexander said it was all about effort.
“That’s all (Kilgore coach) Willie Gooden,” he said. “He goes off a thing called MTXE, ‘Mental toughness, extra effort.’ If you ain’t got it, you’re gonna get exposed.”
Alexander is the backup free and strong safety. It’s a lot of responsibility to fill in and execute like starters Goolsby and Wayne Jones. Alexander said he doesn’t see it as too big a challenge.
“I love it,” he said. “Even in high school, I would play a safety position where it wasn’t really a safety. It was more like (NFL legend) Troy Polamalu where you can do whatever you want.”
Alexander received high marks for his bite, not his bark last week, but he was critical on his coverage. He said he needs to work to improve his angles to the ball and man-marking; he hopes to be ready again Saturday.
“For me, I give it 24 hours,” Alexander said. “I make the play Saturday. Sunday, I reply to all the texts and whatnot. By Monday, that’s when I lock back in. All that is erased. I brought it back today. Gotta go make new plays.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 5:15 AM.