Virginia Tech football interim head coach Philip Montgomery joined Tech Talk Live for the final time this season.
He, Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop discussed the Hokies’ game against Florida State and the upcoming challenge with No. 13 Miami on Saturday. Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young also joined the show to discuss his squad’s 5-0 start.
Philip Montgomery
Coach, thank you for coming out.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Busy week. What’s been your message to the guys?
The biggest part of that is trying to keep them all focused. Excited about Coach [James] Franklin being here, but it just adds another variable for our guys. Just trying to keep them focused on the task at hand. We’re playing a really good Miami team. We’re going to have to play extremely well. Just trying to keep them locked in and focused on that part of it. It’s senior day. These seniors have been some of the good, some of the tough. Those guys have dedicated themselves to Virginia Tech and they’ve had great careers here. We want to do a great job of honoring those guys and making sure that our team is focused and wanting to go out and play really well for themselves and also for those seniors and what they’ve done.
What’s the routine going to be for senior day? Are you going to be emotional as they’re coming out?
Yeah, I’m an emotional guy, and I don’t hide it very well, and I don’t try to hide it. You can ask my family, I’ll break down as quickly as anybody. These guys have done so much and meant so much to the program, they’ve meant so much to me in the short time that I’ve been here. We’ll recognize them and their families prior to the game. Take the opportunity to really celebrate them and their careers here. That’s always exciting and special, and I know that Hokie Nation will come out and show their love and support.
What time do you start that celebration?
We’ll get off the field a little bit earlier, about 28 minutes left on the clock there. We’ll start that program and get the opportunity to celebrate those guys.
This is a group that has been through a lot, haven’t they?
They really have. They’ve had a lot thrown at them this year. A lot of different variables and adversities. Being able to compartmentalize some of that — you’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with 18 to 22-year-olds. These are some life lessons that they’re learning. Learning how to stick together, be dependable, be responsible and understand that people are depending on you during tough times. They’ve stuck together, they’ve been fantastic in that way. They’ve played extremely hard and relentlessly. They’ve played with passion and heart. That’s what I’m most proud of.
Has it been harder to keep the guys focused with all the noise?
It’s been a little harder and more difficult. There’s been a lot going on. A lot of things that are changing. Just a lot of stuff that’s going around the building. They’ve done their best with it. We’re going to be ready to play and those guys are going to come out and compete their tails off. I don’t have any doubt in that. We’re going to have to play well and I know that they’re going to come out and compete at a very high level. This week has been challenging in that way. Next week, I think it’ll all calm down. We’ll have another tough game on Thanksgiving week with all of that going on. I have a lot of faith in those guys and the leadership in that locker room. When it’s time to play, they’re going to come out and do a good job.
Do you think any guys are seeing these last two games as a tryout?
I think those guys have done a really good job. Take the selfish part of it out, let’s play for each other and this group of guys. We’re all we got and we’re all we need. I think they’ve locked in and focused on the team part of it and not having the idea of playing for themselves. That’s unique in today’s college football. They’ve done a really good job and I’ve been proud of them. I don’t see them in that mindset. I see them playing with a team mindset first and sticking together and going out and competing. There are 11 guys on the field and everybody’s got to go out and do their job at their highest level.
Talk about the Florida State game. Have you ever been in a game where both teams only had eight possessions and you never had to punt?
It’s a little bit unique. I’ve been in games where you only had eight possessions. When you play Navy, Army, Air Force, some of those cats where people are controlling the football on you, it happens. Some of it is our philosophy of trying to control the football a little bit. Not having either team punt, that’s a little bit unique. We had great opportunities within that game. I thought our guys played really hard. We had a couple of key mistakes that you just can’t have.
You can’t give them second opportunities and we can’t hurt ourselves down in the red zone. You’re putting yourself behind the sticks and you get into those situations where you’re down and you have to go for it on fourth-and-whatever. I thought we had a lot of momentum there in the first half. The call we got on the last drive before the half where [Marcellous] Hawkins caught the ball down the sideline, we got down to the 23-yard line. You’re either going to get six or get a field goal and make it tied up 10-10 at halftime or you’re going up 14-10. That’s a totally different mindset and game at that point. There’s two or three key opportunities in that game, and we’ve got to capitalize on those.
What have you thought of Marcellous Hawkins?
He’s really maturing each and every week. I was really excited about him coming in. I thought he was making some good runs in those early games, but there were some more opportunities and more yardage there. Whether that be pressing and holding this path for a little bit longer to let the offensive line to be able to collect this guy and set up that block, or I got to the third level and I let that one guy get me. He’s doing a really good job right now of setting up blocks and making people miss at that third level, whether he’s getting around them or going over them. He has great contact balance. I think that’s what’s really elevating his game right now. He’s done a tremendous job this year.
Having 200-plus yards on the ground would be nice against this Miami defense.
They’re good. I think NC State ran it 23 times for 23 yards. That’s not a great average. It’s going to be a challenge for us this week. We’ve got to do a good job at finding some ways to move the football and keep them off balance for a little bit and be balanced in what our attack is. We need to find some edges to be able to run off of and give our linemen and those backs an opportunity to stay ahead of the chains. Those explosive runs are going to be hard to find, but you’ve got to continue to stay diligent about it. If we can stay ahead of the chains, I think we can cause them some problems in some areas.
How do you feel about the way that Caleb Woodson has progressed?
Caleb’s always been one of our better leaders since I’ve been here. He’s a guy that works tremendously hard and plays with a lot of passion about him. He’s got a great motor. He’s one of those guys who works on his craft in practice during the offseason and you just see him coming ready every day. He’s bringing juice and he wants everybody out here to be intense, because that’s the way he plays. He had a little bit of an injury there in the middle of the season and has done a great job fighting back from it. He’s gotten more comfortable and more aggressive each week. He played tremendously well last week. With that rotation of linebackers we have, I think they’re all doing a great job of helping each other compete and keeping each other motivated in that way.
How about some of those young guys in the secondary?
When you think about the secondary, [Isaiah Brown-Murray] and [Thomas Williams], those guys are playing just about every rep. They may get one play off in the course of a game. With our limited depth in those areas because of injuries and other things, those guys have just been monumental as far as being able to stay out there, stay locked in and stay focused. They’re playing at a really high level. As the young guys at safety continue to rotate, we’ve had some young guys step in and play some big minutes.
Tyson Flowers has been the oldest one back there. [Isaiah] Cash made some plays the other day, [Joseph] Reddish has been in there, [Jordan] Bass and Brennan Johnson have been in there. It’s a revolving door of guys that are jumping in. I don’t want to say it’s a next man up type of mentality, but those young guys, like Sheldon Robinson, have had an opportunity to get in to play and they’ve played downhill, played physical, made some big plays in moments. Those guys have been tremendous for us. We couldn’t have made it throughout the season without them. They’re growth with the experience that they’re getting is really going to pay dividends for them in their future and careers.
Are there positions that are easier to give young guys opportunities?
Definitely. As you look at that, it’s really difficult, in my opinion, most of the time. If you’re an offensive lineman, it’s going to be really hard for you to play early. It’s not because you’re not talented enough. Most of those guys were the biggest guys on their high school teams and they’re playing against guys on the other side that were probably not as strong or not as big. All of a sudden you get to college and those guys on the other side are big, strong, grown beings that have grown man strength. All of a sudden your technique and your footwork and your strength have to catch up to all of that.I think you have to look at Kyle Altuner. If you’re going to be able to be our starting center for the whole year as a redshirt freshman, it’s really tremendous, a guy that plays like that. He and [Aidan] Lynch have grown so much through the year. I think it’s difficult on the offensive and defensive lines to play early. As a skill guy, I think you have some opportunities to do, that whether you’re a receiver, running back, maybe a DB. Some of those things translate a little better because of your unique speed or your length or your technique in some of those things. I think it gets easier for those guys to be able to come in and really contribute early.
A lot of coaches say the farther you get from the ball, the better chance you get to play.
That’s exactly right.
How hard is it to recruit the offensive line with how big they are in high school?
You’ve got to do a really good job of evaluating those guys. There’s some things that you want to pay attention to. Everybody’s philosophy of how they’re evaluating them may be a little bit different. There’s some things in there that are common and you’ve gotta do a great job of understanding. I’ve seen it throughout my career, a guy comes in as a freshman and you thought he was going to be really good, then he gets there and you realize you may have missed. Then he gets to his redshirt freshman year and you’re still thinking that you may have missed. Then all of a sudden in the spring, the lightbulb comes on and he can walk and chew gum at the same time. He’s strong, he can run around, he’s being physical and you’re like, ‘Where did this cat come from?’ Some of those guys just take a little bit more time because of the uniqueness of that position.
What jumps out to you against Miami?
They’re good. Yeah, they’re good. They’re good. As you look at them offensively, you’ve got Carson Beck there at quarterback. They’ve got a lot of weapons around him. You’ve got a young receiver in [Malachi] Toney who has made so many plays for them and then there’s more. There’s a stable of running backs that can play, they’ve got a big offensive line, we’ve really got to do a good job of trying to create turnovers. You’ve got to get Carson Beck off of his spot. He’s not a big runner. He does a great job. He’s played a ton of football, he’s got a great track record, he’s got great experience, he knows where to go with the football. You’ve got to take away his first read and you’ve got to confuse him to get him off of his spot or frustrate him. When you do that, you’ve got a chance. We’ve got to do great against the run. Have to get them behind the sticks and make them have to be one really drive the length of the field.
And their defense is huge up front. They’ve probably got a first-round draft pick playing the end, the other one’s probably a second-round draft pick. The two guys in the middle are big guys that are hard to move. They’re flying around and playing really hard on defense. They’re boundary safety already has four picks. He’s 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, something like that. He can run. They’ve got some guys. That being said, we’ve played some really good defenses up to this point and we’ve done a good job of being on top of them and moving the chains.
I bet Kyron Drones is probably excited for these last two games.
He’s excited just like the rest of them. Last year’s game was a big game. I’ve heard about the call, they were still talking about it after I got here. We’ve watched it. As you look at their defense, new defensive coordinator, only two guys from last year that are back. It’s a whole new mixture of scheme and people and all of that. We’ve looked at it just from that mindset. We’re going to have to study this year’s tape.
Carson Beck is a two-time champion. How important is it to get him out of the pocket?
We’ve got to do a great job of applying pressure. He’s going to do a great job of scrambling. He’ll throw it away before taking off more times than not. We’ve got to get him off his point, use some movement, play into what our strengths are to try to make that happen. He’s a guy that’s played a lot of football. As you start changing stuff up, he can recognize it. We’ve got to do a great job of taking whatever that first read is away.
They have two running backs, Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown. They’re really talented, aren’t they?
They really are. They’ve got a great combination of speed and size. They’re hard to tackle. They do a good job of what they do schematically. A lot of it is a lot more inside zone-based because they’re big up front and they move people. They do a lot of condensed sets to create long edges and give those running backs a little bit more space to be able to cut and see that cutback lane and have the opportunity to hit it, and they work some RPO stuff off of that. They do a good job with what they do and how they do it.
Miami has an elite pass rush. Is there anything different that you do up front to prevent some of those big bodies?
We’ve got some things that we hope will be able to slow them down. [Rueben] Bain is a guy that brings havoc into the backfield. He does a good job against the run and obviously does a good job pressuring the quarterback. He’s a guy that you’ve got to be able to handle and give extra support to. The tough thing is that if you give too much support, then the other side of it comes and gets after you. We’ll have to do some things to try to help slow them down and get the ball out as quickly as we can. We need to get through our progressions and find that guy. They do a lot of different blitz things to make you isolate on him. It’ll be a cat-and-mouse game on that side of it.
You moved up practice to be a little earlier for the early game.
Yeah, the biggest thought behind it is to get those guys off their feet. Making them have the opportunity to make sure they’re fully recovered. You’re filling up your tank during the week and you want that and everything with it on E at the end of the game. Just trying to do a good job to give them as much time between our last practice and what we’re fixing to do on the field. With the early kick at 12, we’re trying to take advantage of that.
This program was in a really tough spot after the Old Dominion game and you came in and steadied the ship. A lot of fans are really grateful for everything you’ve been able to do. What’s this process been like for you? What have you learned?
More than anything else, it affirms some things for me. We’ve always done it with the mindset of every decision that we make is going to be about the team and about the players. Those guys have appreciated that. Not that it’s different from Coach [Brent] Pry, I’m not saying that at all. It reaffirms guys leaning in and guys locking arms together, understanding that adversity is going to hit and life is going to throw you some curveballs. It’s how you react to those. It’s going to be the character that you carry throughout life. I think that we’ve done a good job of that. We’ve had great leaders within that locker room. I think it affirms to me that I enjoy being a head coach, I think I’m OK at it. Hopefully another opportunity like that will come along.
On behalf of Hokie Nation, I want to applaud you for what you’ve done. Our listeners won’t hear from you next week, so this is your last time on. This hasn’t been easy. What you inherited and what you’ve been through, that’s not what you signed up for when you came here. You’ve done this thing with class and dignity. You’ve kept those guys on the same path. You’ve righted the ship and have done an unbelievable job.
On behalf of all of those people listening tonight, I just want to say congratulations. I think you’re going to have a great opportunity to be a head coach again. What you did here was phenomenal. I don’t know where you’ll end up next year, but don’t be a stranger. We’d love to have you back anytime you can. I can’t imagine what you and your family have been through, but to be able to do what you and your family have done, it’s been remarkable.
I appreciate that very much. Y’all have really accepted us. We jumped into this thing together. I appreciate all of y’all for coming out and Hokie Nation for showing up for those guys and supporting them. This has been a challenging type of chapter. As you reflect back on it, it’ll be something that means a lot to us.
Two more chapters to write.
That’s right. Finish up this story together.
What’s the next 48 hours look like for you and the team?
Just like next week, I’ll head up to the office and get to work. We’ll speed up things tomorrow and those guys will show up around noon. We’ll get them up there and get practice in. Get a bunch of different meetings before and after that practice. We’ll head over to the hotel and have dinner and some meetings and chapel that night. The biggest difference is that we’ve had a lot of late kicks. It’ll speed up tremendously. Those guys will have to get up early. We’ll have some walkthroughs in the morning. We’ll have our pregame meal and a team meeting and we’ll be on the bus headed over. It’ll be moving quickly. It’ll be nice to play in the afternoon. Hopefully the weather holds. They’ve got the forecast with a little bit of wind and rain. When we have the football, we don’t want it to rain. When Miami has the football, we want it to rain really hard. We’ll work on that part of it. But it’s going to move really quick.
Mike Young
Coach, thanks for coming out.
What else am I going to do on a Thursday evening? Pleasure to see everyone.Exciting times within the athletic department.
Great times. What Coach Montgomery and his staff have done with this current team is hard. I’ve never done it, but doing this stuff for 40 years, to be thrusted into that situation, the guy and the staff have done a remarkable job. Yesterday was a great day, an uplifting day for our community. I honestly don’t know anything about football, but I know a lot about coaching. I cannot imagine a better fit for Virginia Tech and this football program than Coach Franklin and the staff that he will assemble. Better days are ahead for the Hokies, and we look forward to being a part of it.How did your meeting go with him?
Great. I’d never met him. Mike Rhodes, the basketball coach at Penn State, is a very good friend of mine. Coincidentally, they were playing in Connecticut and stayed in the same hotel that we did when we were playing Providence. I stopped him and said, ‘I don’t know rumors or what have you, but I think there’s a chance he can be a great hire for us, what kind of relationship do you have?’ He just went on and on about what a class man and great football coach he is and what a transformational hire that would be for Virginia Tech if it came to fruition, and here we are.You know coaching, you can go from No. 2 in the country and be gone in three weeks. Crazy business.
It’s a crazy business. I think a lot of that stems from NIL and the association of all of that stuff. It’s becoming more and more like professional football and professional basketball. Win now. If you can’t do that, you’ve got a problem. I’ve heard that they’re getting after Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Come on, man. Guy’s only won two national championships in the last six, seven years. He’s a remarkable person and a remarkable coach. It’s disappointing, but it’s where we are in college athletics. Buckle up.Had a couple of tough games where the teams got physical. What were your thoughts on the week?
We had a great outing against Providence and I saw it for the first time, some things really coming together. We’ve got a lot to work on. We weren’t as good defensively as we needed to be. We were good against Saint Joseph’s. Our offense has faltered here over the last two. Charlotte is good, I think they’ve got a good outfit. I talked to a former assistant at Appalachian State, who’s a head coach now, they’ve got Charlotte tomorrow, and we went through some of their stuff. I think they’ve got a good outfit. They hung in there with us and made it hard on us. That game will serve us well and so will last night’s game. We’re not where we need to be. I’m more concerned about our offense. As I said postgame, if that’s my biggest worry, where we’re headed offensively, I’m going to sleep well. We’re going to be just fine, we’ll figure that part out.Neoklis Avdalas has scored in double figures in four straight games. You said there’s more to get out of him offensively.
There is. Not to get too involved, he is a great person and a great kid. He is such a perfectionist, he feels a lot of pressure, which I hate. I’m trying to ease his mind. All of the social media stuff and noise and mock drafts, my gosh, just play the next play. Enjoy and smile and hang in there. We’ve gotta keep in mind that he’s a 19-year-old young man playing here for the first time. I’ve told him, this is hard. That guy on the other end of the bench knows what he’s doing. There’s five games out there now. There’s more and more film as we go along. You’re going to see different coverages. I think the hard hedge against Charlotte really spooked him. I told him that he’s going to see other defenses that are going to surprise you. You’re a great player and you’ve got to make the right play. That guy’s open, he needs to have the ball. We’ll get him there, but you guys know how I feel about him as a basketball player.How about Ben Hammond off the bench last night?
Played very well. He was 50 percent from three a year ago, took the right ones. Just 1-for-8, 1-for-9 right now. That will get turned around. I thought last night that Ben was Ben again. Picked his spots, got in the lane. He has a remarkable assist-to-turnover ratio. Something like 24-to-4. Avdalas is 30-to-5. Those guys are up there around 6-to-1 in assist-to-turnover. That’ll help you win a lot of games. Ben had a really good night. Such an important piece of what we’re doing. Proud of him.Would you say Tobi Lawal is one of the most athletic guys you’ve coached?
Best athlete I’ve ever coached. He does some things that are mind-boggling. He has some plays that are just like holy cow. I try to act like I’ve seen it before, I haven’t. I want to jump out of my shoes like Cassell Guard. He’s playing great. Rebounding voraciously. We missed Amani [Hansberry] last night. Him, Tobi, and Tyler Johnson, their work on the glass against Providence, Charlotte, St. Joe’s is a real game changer. Keeping possessions alive and putting the ball back to the top of the floor. We have an offensive rebound spray out to the perimeter, made three in each of the last three games, which are big-time plays. Tobi specifically is playing the best basketball of his career. I bet you that continues, the kid really works on it.How about Christian Gurdak?
The head coach did not think he was going to play that many minutes. [Antonio] Dorn lost his stuff there for a minute and it was poorly adjudicated. The commissioner of officials called me in the office at 10:30 p.m. The kid should not have been ejected. We won, so no harm no foul. He’ll be back and he’ll be fine. Gurdak was the player of the game. Kept a number of things alive, defended his spot well. Fifteen points and eight rebounds from a rookie. He, too, is very conscientious. He takes great care of his body, big, strong young man that will continue to get better.Amani Hansberry did not go. You said if he had to go, he could’ve. What do you expect out of him?
I think he’ll be full go on Wednesday [vs. Colorado State]. Part of the thinking was that we have three straight next week and then we get back on Friday night after being in the Bahamas. We practice Sunday then go down to Columbia on Monday to play on Tuesday. That’s a big game. Then George Mason the next Saturday. This is a critical five-game stretch for our team. I didn’t want to run the risk of aggravating it a little more, so he’s on the shelf for today and tomorrow. He’s limited to no contact on Saturday and Sunday.Now you’re concerned about his conditioning, we travel on Monday. Let’s get in front of it while we have an opportunity and have a week between games. Let’s do the right thing by Amani Hansberry and the right thing by our team and sit him to get him well. He was in the training room a couple of times today. I saw him when he came in. Said he felt much better and he worked out. Just spot shooting. Said he had no pain. He could’ve played if we had a big game in the league. I think we made the right call that will pay dividends as we head to the Bahamas.
Are you looking forward to the tournament?
Can’t wait to get down there. It’s a great field. We need to go down there, play well and win. Colorado State has a good outfit. It will not be easy. Great competition and we look forward to it. We have five games of film, so we have plenty to be prepared by Sunday and Monday when we travel down.