Virginia Tech football head coach Philip Montgomery and men’s basketball forward Tobi Lawal joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Tech Talk Live on Thursday night.
Montgomery and the Hokies host Louisville on Saturday in Lane Stadium (3 p.m. ET, The CW) while Lawal and his team hit the hardwood in Cassell Coliseum on Monday vs. Charleston Southern (7 p.m. ET, ACCNX).
Philip Montgomery
Coach, great to see you. How are you?
Doing great. Great crowd tonight. Thank y’all for showing up with the weather and everything else.
It’s been almost three weeks now since we’ve talked to you. The bye week, then the Friday game, you were busy getting ready. How have the last couple of weeks been for you?
It’s been good. The guys have continued to work hard, we’ve had a good week coming off of a really physical game. They came back out on Tuesday and really practiced well. They came out Wednesday and had a great practice, and another one today. Been really pleased with that part of it.
You mentioned the crowd here. How about the crowd that stuck around until the very end on Friday night?
The crowd was unbelievable. Honestly, it was a big factor there late in the game. As we got into overtime, they were playing [Enter] Sandman, more people kept taking their shirts off up there. It was a special night. Our guys fed off the crowd and it was a tremendous win for us.
When did you notice the shirtless guys? Was it during the game?
I really didn’t notice during the game. I was told afterwards and then I saw some stuff that people had sent to me, pictures and all. I was really excited after the game, then I got home and the game was replaying on something when I got home. I ended up watching it again because I couldn’t go to sleep. I got to see more of it during the TV playback.
You’ve talked about the adversity that you guys have faced over the year, but what about the adversity in that game? You get the lead, lose the lead, get it back, all kinds of crazy stuff was happening late. That was a lot to overcome.
That was a lot to overcome in that game. Just like I told our guys, we were extremely excited about the win, it shows how much fight they have and how determined they are. They’ve been relentless about the pursuit to get better every day and every week. Lots to overcome in that game, but they continued to keep their head down and keep driving. It just shows the fight of this team and the fight of Hokie Nation. I was really proud of the way that they battled and the way that they competed.
You showed a lot of emotion after that game. These guys have bought into you. Is that where some of that came from?
Yeah, everything that we’ve been through and understanding the ups and downs and the twists that we’ve had. The way they’ve continued to stay locked in and continued to drive and compete. They’ve had tons of opportunities where a lot of teams would’ve just folded up and said, ‘Hey, we’re done for the season,’ but they’ve welded themselves together, they’ve come out every day to get better, to compete, they’ve been playing hard for 60 minutes. For them to have the reward to win a game that could’ve gone either direction at any time, it just shows how resilient they really are.
How good was Kyron Drones? Five total touchdowns, over 100 yards rushing.
I really thought, especially in the second half and two overtimes, he came out and really controlled the game at that point. It was a full team win, and it took everybody to get that done. I thought, with everything we asked him to do in the second half, really getting involved more in the run game, things started clicking. Obviously, [Marcellous] Hawkins had a tremendous game and the offensive line did a great job of opening up some things. Our guys broke tackles. We stretched the defense and Kyron did some really nice things. Not only in the run game, but he had a couple of big throws. One got overturned. How that is, I don’t know. The other part of it lined right back up and continued to keep that drive alive. I was really pleased and proud of how the team competed and also how he competed in the second half.
Marcellous Hawkins had a great night with 167 yards on the ground.
He did, I think we had 350 or 360 something yards [Editor’s note: 357]. And on top of that, our defense held them to 39 yards rushing. Again, it takes all three sides. Really proud of how those guys competed and worked. Hawkins came in and played extremely well all night. He was efficient, had explosive runs, got the dirty yards when he had to. The tight ends, the O-line, all of those guys get a tremendous round of applause for those guys and how they worked.
How about Takye Heath? Four catches, two touchdowns. He was dynamite.
He really was. He had the explosive play in the second half. The one with his hands behind him, you know how difficult that is playing the position that you played. There’s so many bodies in the way. There’s hands and arms in the way. The ball was a little bit behind him and he made a great adjustment. He makes a great catch on it to make that touchdown in a moment where we really needed it. It’s great to see him step up big time like that.
How about Kemari Copeland? Three sacks, most since the 90s for a defensive tackle when J.C. Price had four.
He had a tremendous game. Our D-line has been tremendous all year long. They apply pressure, they stop the run. The front seven has done a great job of that. Kemari had a special night the other night. It was kinda fun to tease J.C. [Price] with the, ‘Hey, he’s right there on your heels.’ Kemari is a great young man, diligent about his craft, one of the strongest individuals I’ve ever been around. He plays with a high motor.
One of the real keys was shutting down their run game. You really did that, Cal only had 39 yards rushing. That D-line was a big part of that as well.
They really were. That was our goal going in, we wanted to make them one dimensional. That quarterback is good. He’s young, it’s hard to get in his head. He’s from Hawaii, he’s loose and cool. We were getting shots on him and he was just bouncing back. We needed to make them one dimensional, and I think our defense did a tremendous job of that.
What was your message to the team going into the half down 10?
We had talked earlier in the week about this being a 60-minute game. We needed every bit of that. Obviously, we got out to a good start, defense had a few three-and-outs, got us good field position and we went down and scored. When we went into halftime, we were down 10, but we got 30 minutes left to play. The guys were locked in, they were focused, they knew we needed to go down and get points, and we got points on the first drive. You can start feeling the momentum change a little bit, the guys locked into it and they were feeding off of it.
Two scoring drives to start the third, then the interception. But Kyron came right back and got a touchdown on the next possession.
He did. The thing that he’s done a good job of — things are going to happen as you play that position. You’re going to be the hero or the scapegoat on one side or the other. After the interception, he was still locked in and went right back to work. Defense went out and did some good things. We knew we needed to go right back down and stay in the flow of what we were doing.
What did you think of your defense’s play in that second overtime?
I thought it was a tremendous effort by them. One of the plays that nobody is really talking about, I thought that Sam [Siefkes] made a really critical call late in the game when they went down and they were trying to go five or six more yards to get the field goal. It’s a defensive structure that he has put in. Our guys did a great job of operating that. It made the quarterback throw it away, which forced them to have to kick from where they were. They end up missing it and we go into overtime.
Obviously, the first overtime didn’t go our way from a defensive standpoint and we were able to answer. We go back down and score. Those guys on defense, I haven’t seen them like that. They go out on the field and execute. They brought pressure and were relentless to the football. On third-and-long, [Kelvin Gilliam] is chasing the quarterback and ends up diving to get him on the ground. The quarterback had to throw it away. Those things add up. They were feeding off the crowd part of it. It was a tremendous stand by them.
When you question a call, do you always send it in after hearing the explanation?
We still send it in. I still want the explanation for it. Maybe I’m old school and hard-headed because of it. Every week, there’s plays that we’re sending in to get them evaluated. At the end of the day, if they miss something and they say they’re sorry, it doesn’t change anything. At least you feel vindicated with what you were sending in. The other side of it, sometimes you feel like they still got it wrong.
Cal had no timeouts so all it could do was get the ball out of bounds, and your defense and Sam took that away.
To have the wherewithal to not only come with that call at that time. The defense had been working on it all fall camp for that one occasion. They did a great job of going out there and executing.
The offensive line has been banged up, but it seemed like it had one of its better outings last week.
They really did. It was an opportunity to finally line up for a couple of weeks in a row with the same group of guys in the same spots. When you start talking about the offensive line play, so much of it is about trust and communication and being on the same page, understanding how this guy will work this combination and the footwork around it. To be able to have some sense of normalcy, it was really good. You can see those guys continue to gain confidence and get better. We’re going to need them this week with a tough opponent. Those guys had a tremendous night and continue growing together.
How about Isaiah Brown-Murray? He had that big pass breakup on fourth down. Four tackles, he’ll be wearing No. 25 this week.
Yes, he will. IBM is one of the hardest-working guys that I’ve ever been around. He’s laser focused, he plays with confidence, he plays with passion. Early in the first drive, they throw one into the flats and he screams down and makes a great hit. His helmet comes off, which I hate. He brings that joy, that passion every day. He’s been a tremendous addition to our defense.What has stood out to you about this Louisville team?
They’re a well-coached team. They have tremendous athletes on both sides of the ball and on special teams. When you look at them from an offensive standpoint, their quarterback is playing well. They’ve got two running backs that could really take it to the house at any time. You’ve got [Caullin] Lacy out there that kind of does it all. I think it’s [Chris] Bell on the outside that’s big and long. They’ve created so many explosive plays, and what we have to do from a defensive standpoint is make them drive the length of the field. Keep things in front of us, get them on the ground and live to play the next play. Can’t give up the explosive parts of it.Looking at their defense, they create a ton of confusion. They’re going to play a multitude of different fronts, but it’s all about pressure and they’ll bring it at any point in time. They’ll go seven up and bring the house. It just creates so many different variables. We have to stay ahead of the chains. You get in third-and-long, they’re turning them all loose and it can get hairy in a hurry. They’ve got [12] interceptions. They picked off Carson Beck like four times in that game. You’ve got to be really smart with what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
Talk about Louisville quarterback Miller Moss. He’s completed 65 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. What are your perceptions?
He’s not really a runner. He can move around in the pocket, but that’s not what he hangs his hat on. He’s got great weapons around him. For him, we’ve got to do a good job of getting him off that spot and making him work to the next progression. You give him the opportunity to have time and sit back there, he’ll pick you apart. We’ve got to do a good job of applying pressure and getting them behind the sticks where we can do some different things and give him some different looks to confuse him a little bit. Highly-rated guy coming out of high school, I think he was a five-star. Went to USC and now he’s at Louisville. They’re playing extremely well and he’s part of that.
Isaac Brown led the ACC in yards per carry last year. He’s at eight yards per carry this year. What’s it going to take to slow him down?
We’ve got to get a lot of hats to the ball. He’s electric with the ball in his hands. You give him a crease and he’s got such a quick step. He’s in and out of holes in a hurry. We’ve got to do a good job of making him have to bounce and get hats to him and be physical once that stretches.
You don’t see many dudes like Chris Bell at 6-2, 220. He leads the ACC in receiving yards and he has six touchdowns. Been at Louisville all his career. He’s special.
He really is. He’s got an extremely bright future, he’ll be playing on Sunday here pretty soon. He’s a guy that brings a unique skill set because of his size and his length. When you add the speed factor, he’s a difficult cover. He’s going to have some catches, you just can’t let him have the home run shot. When he makes those catches, we’ve got to be physical and get him on the ground and live to play the next play.
How about Caullin Lacy? Dangerous punt returner, he’s already taken two to the house.
He really is. He’s a guy that is going to field some punts that you would think he’ll fair catch because he’s got so much confidence in what he’s doing. As a punt returner, from a stature standpoint, he’s built really sturdy. He’s not one of those guys that you’re just going to be able to get a small hit on and he’s going to go down. You’ve got to wrap up and get him on the ground. We’ve got to get a lot of hats to that as well. I know Coach [Stu Holt] has been talking about that all week. We’ve got to do a great job of taking our shots and understanding that he’s going to take chances and try to change the game with one play.
They have 29 plays of 20-plus yards and they’re 22-for-22 in the red zone. They’re pretty efficient.
Yeah, they really are. When you think about those big plays, they haven’t had a ton down in the redzone, they’ve been scoring from further out. That’s what I mean by trying to make them have to earn and drive the length of the field. We’ve got to make tackles and make them be more disciplined. I’ve been a part of some offenses that have lived on big plays, and when you’re in a knot, you can get frustrated. One of the things we’ve been talking about for a while now is get us to the fourth quarter and give us a chance. Our guys will fight in the fourth.
Do you feel at all that the guys are fired up with the No. 16 team coming into the house with an opportunity to make some noise against a team who has really been able to run the ACC?
I think they’re really fired up about the opportunity this weekend. Whether they’re 16 or they’re not, our guys have really approached it week-by-week. Staying locked into that part of it and staying focused on us and how we can get better. We know we’ve got an extremely tough opponent this weekend. For our guys, I think it’s week-to-week and it’s not because they’re number 16. They’re excited to step back on the field together and play.
A couple things happened to get you in a bind on special teams last week. Fielding that kickoff on the 1-yard line, a punt gets blocked, that was a tough sequence.
It really was, and it’s uncharacteristic for us. I know our guys, we’ve really dove to make sure that all of those little details are taken care of. We can’t allow ourselves to have mistakes like that. Mistakes are going to happen at times. But for us, we can’t put ourselves behind the 8-ball. We’ve got to do a good job to play clean football. That’s been the message as we continue to work through the week.
That hidden yardage is going to be big this week.
It really is. The hidden yardage and being able to flip the field and make them drive lengths of field, finding us some short fields to be able to work on. We need to take advantage of that.
The Alzheimer’s Awareness walk is on Sunday at the Huckleberry Park in Christiansburg. You and your wife will be there, right?
We’ll be there. I’ll be there around one. She and I will be there and then the walk starts at two. It’s something that’s affected my family and Ashli’s family. It’s been something that we’ve been a part of for a lot of years now. It’s our way to battle it, and we encourage anybody who wants to to come out and support the walk.
What’s practice been like this week with the weather? Have you been outside much?
It’s been back and forth because of the rain. The cold is the cold. The rain, the grass gets slippery and we’re thin at some spots so we don’t want to take chances on injuries. To be able to go in with the rain starting to hit, our guys handle that with tremendous grace and don’t really worry about it. If we’re out, we’re out; if we’re in, we’re in. The guys stay locked into it.
How cool was it to have Bhayshul Tuten on the sideline for the Cal game?
It was great. We had a couple of guys. It’s always great for those guys to come home and be a part of it. Any time that you’re a part of this football team and university, this is home, and it’s great for them to come back and feel that.
What do the next 48 hours look like?
We’ll have meetings and work tomorrow. Those guys will be out on the practice field and then we’ll hit meetings again. We’ll get on the bus and go over to the hotel and have a few meetings at that point. Get up the next morning and have walk-throughs, meetings, team walk and our pregame meal before we head on the buses and get back over. It’ll be a little bit quicker tomorrow. Last Friday, we were in that hotel for a while. It’s a little different. Saturday, you’ve got all kinds of games and stuff so you can go watch football. Friday when you go up, there’s not much to watch. I don’t know what they had on. Days of Our Lives or what. Whatever they were watching, I want them to watch it again so we can go play like that again.
Last week was pretty rare to lose the turnover battle and win. That’ll be huge this week, won’t it?
It really will. They do a tremendous job at creating turnovers when you look at the Miami game and the Boston College game. The turnover battle, hidden yardage and explosive plays will be big in this one. We’ve got to do a great job in a lot of areas. I know our guys are prepared and ready. We’re going to get everything out of them.
