Coach Montgomery’s Weekly Press Conference Quotes
September 10, 2018 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Third-year ECU Head Football Coach Scottie Montgomery addressed members of the media on Monday prior to its road game at Virginia Tech. The following are selected comments:
Opening Statement:
"We came out of the game relatively healthy, even though that was a big-time physical battle with UNC. I think that physically, we'll be ready to go. I want to say that Colby Gore is doing well. He is out of the hospital and his X-rays were negative. We don't know if we're going to have him this week or at all yet, because there's a secondary evaluation that we have going on. The great news for our locker room and for our team is that he is doing well. The fans and everyone around him that called and gave support, prayed for him, we're very appreciative of it.
On Virginia Tech:
"Moving forward to Virginia Tech, we're going into a very hostile environment with a great crowd. But the best thing in the stadium is their football team – a really, really good football team. They play hard. Defensively, they're only returning three starters, but the guys coming in are great players. Offensively, the thing that puts you in the most angst is what they do in their backfield. They can use multiple sets on you to get the ball ran. The quarterback is really talented. The back out there is having a stellar year. We're going to have our hands full on defense and we're looking forward to the challenge. I think that our guys will go up and play really, really hard this week. I think this is a good test for us. It's putting us on a stage that we need to be on at this point in time.
"Our quarterback, Reid Herring, is looking really, really good. He got banged up a little bit. I know some people saw his face when he left the game, but he's looking good. He wasn't too swollen in the face and we practiced him a little bit last night. Moving forward, he should be good to go. Outside of that, we're just really anxious to get this game and this week started. We had a really good Sunday practice where our guys came out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. But they had quickly moved past UNC to Virginia Tech. One of the best things that helps you get past a big win is knowing you have a great opponent coming."
On Preparations For Hurricane Florence:
"We actually started talking about it on Saturday evening. Not the effect on the game, but mostly the effect on our kids, the student-athletes and the people in our building, our staffers, and their families. So that's something we started to talk about. The university is meeting, so I can't give you any more information than that. But we are definitely monitoring it, the university is monitoring it. But for us, it's more for the student-athlete and how we can protect them. I'm a lot more equipped to deal with this time because we've been in this situation before. I understand how important this situation is and how quickly it can change here in Eastern North Carolina. That's something that we're monitoring. The football part of it, that's something we're really focused on driving up to Roanoke and then into Blacksburg to play the game. We're putting some things in place to hopefully give us the chance to be completely focused on the game. Our guys are looking forward to this chance so we are monitoring it, but we're definitely getting ready for the football game."
On The Players Thinking About Family And Trying To Get Everyone On The Same Page:
"I'm very concerned about that. But I think the way we built the team, with the relationships with the coaches, I have a better understanding of who to listen to and to go to in these situations. Who to bring in to talk to our guys and we can provide counseling to them. We can also set up direct lines of communication with their parents. The hard thing is just the unknown. Last time, what I realized was that it's a couple of days where guys couldn't talk to their mom or dad, or guys with children and they're separated from them for three or four days so those things are tough. But we are more equipped to deal with it this time. Am I concerned about that? Yes, I think everyone needs to be concerned about that. These are student-athletes, but beneath all of that they're kids and they're human. Their loved ones are what's most important to them. We're going to handle it the right way. That's why I said the Saturday night conversation was all based around how we can make this as painless and comfortable, if you will, for our student-athletes, their families, our coaching staff and their families and then making sure we move forward and we're safe. But we're really still focused on playing football. It does take a tremendous amount of focus to get through all this and we recruit the state really hard, so we have a lot of in-state kids and have to pay close attention to that. I've been in a lot of hurricanes living here and being able to deal with them, going all the way back to 1989, was Hugo. That storm hit all the way into Charlotte and into Shelby and ripped up a lot of places. It's the unknown. All of those things, we need to be able to focus our guys, that's our job. But there is a certain element to being a father and a husband, that we definitely have to take care of this situation. We have to be right on everything we do here."
On Putting North Carolina Win Behind Them:
"I thought they put a lot of the celebration behind them in the locker room on Saturday. They had a little team get together right there at the end and talked about the next step and taking care of Saturday night. When guys start talking about taking care of Saturday night so you can have a great Sunday, you know you've crossed a huge hurdle for the football team. They were talking about taking care of their brothers on Saturday night, so when we came in on Sunday, we could have a great day of treatment and practice. They were already talking about the conditioning after Sunday's practice. So that's a great thing. I haven't felt what we did feel, after year one, the NC State deal, with everything that was going on. I think we've maintained and grown a lot since that time. Both coaches and student-athletes."
On Getting Holton Ahlers More Involved:
"That's something that we monitor based on what the defense shows us. But we'd like to see him continue to play up until we get to a point where we can get our run game going with and without him. That can kind of make the decision on where we go with Holton. I was extremely pleased with the way that he played and I put him in situations this past week, where they were stressful but they didn't give him the whole body of the game. I like him in fourth-and-one and third-and-short and then also in first-and-10. Before you know it, he'll be throwing the ball in some of those situations because he's very effective throwing it as well. He gives us a little bit of every week we can grow his package. We like to see a little bit more of him, but it's based on what the defenses are showing us."
On Differences Between Virginia Tech And Past Hokie Teams:
"It's a different team. I think they're more disciplined than they were. They were more talented in certain positions. You can look at the NFL draft, whenever you lose that many high draft picks, you know that you're coming in with new players. The one thing they still do, they apply pressure. It's not pressure by adding five or adding six, they run to the ball like you've never seen. They've recruited really well there so the people they have coming in, even the true freshmen, like that backup linebacker, (Dax) Hollifield, he looks like he's been playing two or three years. The new guys that they're playing with at the cornerback position are long, 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. They've recruited very well. By the end of the year, we'll be talking about them as one of the most talented teams. But it's definitely a different team. Really physical at the point of the attack and in the interior on both sides of the ball. Even though they're young on offense, their left tackle, he's going to make a lot of money in this game. Where they lost players, they've replaced with guys that we don't know a lot about except for the first two games. But they seem to be really, really talented and a Top 10 football team right now."
On Where Kingsley Ifedi Fits In On The Team:
"He's the backup quarterback right now. That's where he is. There was a time in the game where we lost Reid (Herring). The next guy going into the game once we could have got everything settled down, was Kingsley. Now our package was still going to be our package, but we have to be able to practice a quarterback, a backup quarterback, and a package guy. Now we're able to do all of that. At the same time, we're bringing Holton along and giving him more and more. So, it works out really well. I thought Kingsley had a great camp. He's had great practices. When he went into the game, he was efficient. The only play in the first game that he played, he was efficient. I think that he is progressing toward being an even better player. Right now, he is the backup quarterback, Holton is a jack of all trades if you will."
On How To Attack Bud Foster's Defense:
"That's a tough question because I've now been going against him every year for what seems like forever. The thing about him is that you never know what you're going to get from week to week. Even though you know he's going to play two or three good base defenses, it's just the small nuances of a corner alignment or a safety alignment. Is he going to travel with the tight end or is he not going to travel with the tight end? If you jump your back, is it going to have any effect on him whatsoever? Is he going to get you to a point in time where you feel like you have to protect both edges? So, it's just hard to get a feel for it. In those situations, you've got to do what you do. You've got to be really talented at the outside positions, which we are. On the interior, you've got to mix up your blocking schemes. As far as attacking him, it's about stopping him from getting us off schedule. If we can stay on schedule and get into some third-and-manageable, we'll be fine. The two keys to this game are going to be simple this week. We've got to play harder than Virginia Tech and we've got to maintain possession of the football. We've got to end every possession with a kick and we'll be fine."
On Changing Special Teams To Prepare For "Beamer Ball":
"We're going to have to have some different wrinkles in special teams. We're going to have to be innovative in the way we go about taking care of the football in special teams. We're already thinking about the weather in this game, which I don't mind it being a weather game in these type of matchups. I can remember a lot of games that were like this where special teams became the winning and losing point of the game. So, we're going to have to be innovative with how we go into this game. They've gotten better and better every year on special teams. They've already blocked one punt. They know what they're doing in special teams. The one thing about special teams, is that it's where the physicality of the game and the athletes can come together at one point in time. One thing that Virginia Tech has is physical athletes. So, we're definitely going to have to be innovative in that category of the game."
On Protecting The Ball With No Turnovers Against UNC:
"I thought it was decision-making. If you watched our backs, if you watched our quarterback, there were several times where he (Reid Herring) could have forced that ball in there but he threw it away. There were several times where our backs could have attacked someone down the center with people on the edge, but they got on the edge and got down. Those are the keys to winning and losing. Now in a rain game, it's even more critical. One turnover deep in your territory can easily turn into six points. A key in those situations is knowing when to take care of the football, when to get down, when to be aggressive and go get the three or four dirty yards that we talk about. So, it's very critical for our team, just taking care of the football. You heard me talk about it last week, it's game-winning decision. We've got to continue to make good decisions at the spot that makes good decisions. Quarterback, running back, skill guys and our defensive secondary."
On What He Was Most Proud Of During UNC Game:
"Our interior, our defensive line. It was unbelievable. Looking out there, I thought UNC put one of the biggest offensive lines, just looking at them, I don't know weight, but they were huge. To a point where I had all of our coaches, after the game, find out where they came from. Where they were recruited from, how big they came in, the process of the development. I wanted to know everything about them. But our defensive line, in the second half, just played so hard. They maintained the line of scrimmage, even dominated the line of scrimmage at times. That's what I was most impressed with, our defensive front. It was amazing to watch in the second half."
Opening Statement:
"We came out of the game relatively healthy, even though that was a big-time physical battle with UNC. I think that physically, we'll be ready to go. I want to say that Colby Gore is doing well. He is out of the hospital and his X-rays were negative. We don't know if we're going to have him this week or at all yet, because there's a secondary evaluation that we have going on. The great news for our locker room and for our team is that he is doing well. The fans and everyone around him that called and gave support, prayed for him, we're very appreciative of it.
On Virginia Tech:
"Moving forward to Virginia Tech, we're going into a very hostile environment with a great crowd. But the best thing in the stadium is their football team – a really, really good football team. They play hard. Defensively, they're only returning three starters, but the guys coming in are great players. Offensively, the thing that puts you in the most angst is what they do in their backfield. They can use multiple sets on you to get the ball ran. The quarterback is really talented. The back out there is having a stellar year. We're going to have our hands full on defense and we're looking forward to the challenge. I think that our guys will go up and play really, really hard this week. I think this is a good test for us. It's putting us on a stage that we need to be on at this point in time.
"Our quarterback, Reid Herring, is looking really, really good. He got banged up a little bit. I know some people saw his face when he left the game, but he's looking good. He wasn't too swollen in the face and we practiced him a little bit last night. Moving forward, he should be good to go. Outside of that, we're just really anxious to get this game and this week started. We had a really good Sunday practice where our guys came out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. But they had quickly moved past UNC to Virginia Tech. One of the best things that helps you get past a big win is knowing you have a great opponent coming."
On Preparations For Hurricane Florence:
"We actually started talking about it on Saturday evening. Not the effect on the game, but mostly the effect on our kids, the student-athletes and the people in our building, our staffers, and their families. So that's something we started to talk about. The university is meeting, so I can't give you any more information than that. But we are definitely monitoring it, the university is monitoring it. But for us, it's more for the student-athlete and how we can protect them. I'm a lot more equipped to deal with this time because we've been in this situation before. I understand how important this situation is and how quickly it can change here in Eastern North Carolina. That's something that we're monitoring. The football part of it, that's something we're really focused on driving up to Roanoke and then into Blacksburg to play the game. We're putting some things in place to hopefully give us the chance to be completely focused on the game. Our guys are looking forward to this chance so we are monitoring it, but we're definitely getting ready for the football game."
On The Players Thinking About Family And Trying To Get Everyone On The Same Page:
"I'm very concerned about that. But I think the way we built the team, with the relationships with the coaches, I have a better understanding of who to listen to and to go to in these situations. Who to bring in to talk to our guys and we can provide counseling to them. We can also set up direct lines of communication with their parents. The hard thing is just the unknown. Last time, what I realized was that it's a couple of days where guys couldn't talk to their mom or dad, or guys with children and they're separated from them for three or four days so those things are tough. But we are more equipped to deal with it this time. Am I concerned about that? Yes, I think everyone needs to be concerned about that. These are student-athletes, but beneath all of that they're kids and they're human. Their loved ones are what's most important to them. We're going to handle it the right way. That's why I said the Saturday night conversation was all based around how we can make this as painless and comfortable, if you will, for our student-athletes, their families, our coaching staff and their families and then making sure we move forward and we're safe. But we're really still focused on playing football. It does take a tremendous amount of focus to get through all this and we recruit the state really hard, so we have a lot of in-state kids and have to pay close attention to that. I've been in a lot of hurricanes living here and being able to deal with them, going all the way back to 1989, was Hugo. That storm hit all the way into Charlotte and into Shelby and ripped up a lot of places. It's the unknown. All of those things, we need to be able to focus our guys, that's our job. But there is a certain element to being a father and a husband, that we definitely have to take care of this situation. We have to be right on everything we do here."
On Putting North Carolina Win Behind Them:
"I thought they put a lot of the celebration behind them in the locker room on Saturday. They had a little team get together right there at the end and talked about the next step and taking care of Saturday night. When guys start talking about taking care of Saturday night so you can have a great Sunday, you know you've crossed a huge hurdle for the football team. They were talking about taking care of their brothers on Saturday night, so when we came in on Sunday, we could have a great day of treatment and practice. They were already talking about the conditioning after Sunday's practice. So that's a great thing. I haven't felt what we did feel, after year one, the NC State deal, with everything that was going on. I think we've maintained and grown a lot since that time. Both coaches and student-athletes."
On Getting Holton Ahlers More Involved:
"That's something that we monitor based on what the defense shows us. But we'd like to see him continue to play up until we get to a point where we can get our run game going with and without him. That can kind of make the decision on where we go with Holton. I was extremely pleased with the way that he played and I put him in situations this past week, where they were stressful but they didn't give him the whole body of the game. I like him in fourth-and-one and third-and-short and then also in first-and-10. Before you know it, he'll be throwing the ball in some of those situations because he's very effective throwing it as well. He gives us a little bit of every week we can grow his package. We like to see a little bit more of him, but it's based on what the defenses are showing us."
On Differences Between Virginia Tech And Past Hokie Teams:
"It's a different team. I think they're more disciplined than they were. They were more talented in certain positions. You can look at the NFL draft, whenever you lose that many high draft picks, you know that you're coming in with new players. The one thing they still do, they apply pressure. It's not pressure by adding five or adding six, they run to the ball like you've never seen. They've recruited really well there so the people they have coming in, even the true freshmen, like that backup linebacker, (Dax) Hollifield, he looks like he's been playing two or three years. The new guys that they're playing with at the cornerback position are long, 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. They've recruited very well. By the end of the year, we'll be talking about them as one of the most talented teams. But it's definitely a different team. Really physical at the point of the attack and in the interior on both sides of the ball. Even though they're young on offense, their left tackle, he's going to make a lot of money in this game. Where they lost players, they've replaced with guys that we don't know a lot about except for the first two games. But they seem to be really, really talented and a Top 10 football team right now."
On Where Kingsley Ifedi Fits In On The Team:
"He's the backup quarterback right now. That's where he is. There was a time in the game where we lost Reid (Herring). The next guy going into the game once we could have got everything settled down, was Kingsley. Now our package was still going to be our package, but we have to be able to practice a quarterback, a backup quarterback, and a package guy. Now we're able to do all of that. At the same time, we're bringing Holton along and giving him more and more. So, it works out really well. I thought Kingsley had a great camp. He's had great practices. When he went into the game, he was efficient. The only play in the first game that he played, he was efficient. I think that he is progressing toward being an even better player. Right now, he is the backup quarterback, Holton is a jack of all trades if you will."
On How To Attack Bud Foster's Defense:
"That's a tough question because I've now been going against him every year for what seems like forever. The thing about him is that you never know what you're going to get from week to week. Even though you know he's going to play two or three good base defenses, it's just the small nuances of a corner alignment or a safety alignment. Is he going to travel with the tight end or is he not going to travel with the tight end? If you jump your back, is it going to have any effect on him whatsoever? Is he going to get you to a point in time where you feel like you have to protect both edges? So, it's just hard to get a feel for it. In those situations, you've got to do what you do. You've got to be really talented at the outside positions, which we are. On the interior, you've got to mix up your blocking schemes. As far as attacking him, it's about stopping him from getting us off schedule. If we can stay on schedule and get into some third-and-manageable, we'll be fine. The two keys to this game are going to be simple this week. We've got to play harder than Virginia Tech and we've got to maintain possession of the football. We've got to end every possession with a kick and we'll be fine."
On Changing Special Teams To Prepare For "Beamer Ball":
"We're going to have to have some different wrinkles in special teams. We're going to have to be innovative in the way we go about taking care of the football in special teams. We're already thinking about the weather in this game, which I don't mind it being a weather game in these type of matchups. I can remember a lot of games that were like this where special teams became the winning and losing point of the game. So, we're going to have to be innovative with how we go into this game. They've gotten better and better every year on special teams. They've already blocked one punt. They know what they're doing in special teams. The one thing about special teams, is that it's where the physicality of the game and the athletes can come together at one point in time. One thing that Virginia Tech has is physical athletes. So, we're definitely going to have to be innovative in that category of the game."
On Protecting The Ball With No Turnovers Against UNC:
"I thought it was decision-making. If you watched our backs, if you watched our quarterback, there were several times where he (Reid Herring) could have forced that ball in there but he threw it away. There were several times where our backs could have attacked someone down the center with people on the edge, but they got on the edge and got down. Those are the keys to winning and losing. Now in a rain game, it's even more critical. One turnover deep in your territory can easily turn into six points. A key in those situations is knowing when to take care of the football, when to get down, when to be aggressive and go get the three or four dirty yards that we talk about. So, it's very critical for our team, just taking care of the football. You heard me talk about it last week, it's game-winning decision. We've got to continue to make good decisions at the spot that makes good decisions. Quarterback, running back, skill guys and our defensive secondary."
On What He Was Most Proud Of During UNC Game:
"Our interior, our defensive line. It was unbelievable. Looking out there, I thought UNC put one of the biggest offensive lines, just looking at them, I don't know weight, but they were huge. To a point where I had all of our coaches, after the game, find out where they came from. Where they were recruited from, how big they came in, the process of the development. I wanted to know everything about them. But our defensive line, in the second half, just played so hard. They maintained the line of scrimmage, even dominated the line of scrimmage at times. That's what I was most impressed with, our defensive front. It was amazing to watch in the second half."
Players Mentioned
Quarterback
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ Football
Quarterback
/ Football
Quarterback
/ FootballMonday, September 14
Saturday, September 12
Thursday, September 10
Monday, September 07
