Everything From Virginia Tech Interim HC Philip Montgomery After Week 9 Win Over Cal

Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery spoke to the media following the Hokies' 42-34 double overtime victory over California; here's the entirety of what Montgomery had to say:

Opening Statement:

"I guess to start with, I couldn't be more proud of our football team and our coaching staff. These guys have been through a lot. This is a tough ball game. That's a good Cal team. [They] came in here 5-2, been playing extremely well. We knew we were going to have our hands full tonight and we knew it was going to take all three phases to get this thing done. I thought [we] came out of the gates the way I wanted us to. What we talked about. Got off to a really good start, again in all three phases. Defense came out, got big stops, offense went down, got points. Second quarter was a little rough. Come back, we're down 10. And then the second half, I thought our guys just stepped up and just continued to battle, continued to fight. They were resilient all all game long. And I just couldn't be more proud of our football team and our coaching staff and the way they've stayed together, welded together. And boy, what a big win. That joy and that excitement in that locker room is unbelievable. The good Lord has blessed us in that way and I'm just really proud of this football team and how hard they have fought tonight, how hard they've been fighting and how resilient they've been through everything they've been through. Had some guys make some unbelievable plays tonight that really stepped up. As you look at the stat sheet, as I look at the stat sheet, just things that just jump out at you and everybody had an opportunity to make plays in this game and guys stepped up and did that. And, again, very proud of that."

On finishing with 357 rushing yards and whether there was a point in the game that Montgomery thought they were unstoppable:

"We made some adjustments at halftime. And I thought we added a couple of different layers to it. Being able to attack a little bit more outside, we really got Kyron [Drones] a lot more involved in the run game in the second half. He did a tremendous job of that. You look at what Hawk [Marcellous Hawkins] was able to do. Just had some explosive runs. The first guy doesn't bring him down. I think he had 167 [Editor's note: he did]. Which was huge. And I thought coming out in the second half, we made some big throws down the field. We had the one to Takye [Heath], that was a big hit. I think that helped kind of loosen some things up. We got to continue to to do those things and those guys made some big plays for us. So, yes, our offensive line, as battered and bruised as they've been all year long, this is the only the second time I think that we've been able to line up with the exact same lineup. And I thought those guys did a tremendous job of just coming off the football, controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing us to run like that."

On what Montgomery saw out of his defense and its second half-adjustments:

"Yeah, we went into this game with a mindset of, we needed to make them one-dimensional. We had 357 and they had 39 yards rushing and that's what we needed to do. We needed to take that element away from them. I think, in the second quarter, they were kind of generating some yards. Then, I thought our defense really just bowed up right there. Really did a great job vs. their rushing attack and and really tried to make them one-dimensional and put them behind the chains where we have an opportunity to use some of our pressure packages to try to get him [Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele] off his spot, have an opportunity to to get some sacks in there. I mean, Kemari [Copeland] had three tonight. From a defensive tackle, that's tremendous. But we had a lot of guys step up and make plays in those areas. I mean, Kaleb [Spencer], I guess, had another, I don't know what he had, eight, nine, 10, whatever it was, tackles tonight. [Editor's note: Spencer tallied nine tackles.] That's a tremendous effort by him, but a lot of guys stepped up and did things like that."

On the resilience of the team and what Montgomery told them after the RTP call on Ben Bell and after Cal scored on first play of OT:

"Well, there was a lot of calls in this game that we'll have to look at. That one was a tough one. Don't know that I'll get into all the details of all of that conversation, but that's a tough call at that particular time in the game. As you look at the play in overtime, one-play score at the end of it, whether it's one play or seven plays, they scored a touchdown and now, we got to go answer. And I was proud of our offense for sticking up there and making that part of it happen. And then you got to turn around, you got to do it again. And those guys again did a tremendous job. The play that Kyron and Takye made there for the touchdown. Just had a really good look for it. Takye made a great catch. It's a good read. It was behind him a little bit, but in a tight window. And we're trying to find that window, so tremendous play by both of them, And then Kyron, on the two-point play, just put it on his shoulders and let him go get it. And he did that. So, I was proud of our football team and then the defense goes out and gets a huge stop. The other thing that I want to make sure that I comment on is right there late, our fans were tremendous. I mean, the amount of noise, the amount of excitement in the stadium, that was unbelievable. And we needed all of that to get through this one."

On breaking down Heath's 44-yard touchdown and the passing offense being selective, hitting on some "big ones":

"He really did hit on some big ones. Did a little bit more seven-man pro trying to give him a little bit more time. But we were running the football so well and they were getting their safeties very active involved in it. And [I] felt like we had a good matchup with Takye. It was a good play fake, good protection, gave him time. Takye ran a tremendous route and it was a nice throw and catch. And then, Takye's got great speed, so just being able to finish it right there was huge. And so, we got to continue to keep finding those opportunities. We had a couple more in there that I thought we had. But that was a big one for us for sure."

On how rewarding the win is for Montgomery personally:

"Don't get me wrong, I'm overjoyed, right? Overjoyed. And I'm an emotional person, so I'm going to keep that part of it. But this has always been about those young men in that locker room and the way they have fought through everything. And that's what makes me happy is to see them happy in the locker room. To see all the work that they put into it, to see everything that they've been through, for them to stay that tight together, to battle like they have, to be as resilient as they've been, and then to see that locker room afterwards. That's all I need and very, very happy for them."

On Drones' performance (21 carries, 137 rushing yards, five total touchdowns) and his toughness:

"Kyron played unbelievable tonight. He made some great reads. He made some great runs. Made some great throws. He takes a lot of criticism at times but I will tell you, that guy is is as sound and as resilient and as competitive. He's in this building all the time, trying to get better, finding things to get better at. And tonight, he showed how tough he is, how much of a leader he is. And we couldn't have done that without him. I'm glad he's on our football team, but he had a tremendous night. A lot of guys had tremendous nights, but he had a tremendous one and it was great to see that."

On noticing the crowd environment:

"Yeah, I don't have any idea about that part of it [Editor's note: Montgomery is referring to the person who asked the question referencing the group of shirtless people in the north endzone.]. But the crowd was was unbelievable, especially there in the overtime period and in the second overtime when defense went back out. I've been on the other side of that with fans like that. But I don't know that I've I've felt an environment as electric as what it felt right then. And the amount of noise, the amount of of spirit that was in the stadium was absolutely tremendous."

On if there was anything from Cal's defense that warranted Drones receiving more reps on the ground:

"We just felt like we needed to to add another element and once we kind of got into the flow of it, he did a great job of reading some things. We were trying to split the defense a little bit more, try to keep them honest. Again, they were trying to get a lot of extra hats down into the box to try to help that. I think some of the shots that we took allowed some of that to happen. And then obviously what he was able to do, we had some tremendous blocks on the outside and some other things that happened. But he did a really nice job of reading it and taking what they gave him, then making the most of it when he had the opportunity. He played really well in that that regard."

On whether there was a switch flipped in regards to team chemistry:

"With everything that has gone on, the team chemistry has been really, really tremendous. These guys, they've stayed together. They've welded together. They've kept it about what we've got to do. The leadership within that locker room has been probably the best I've been around. And I've been doing this a while. Those guys, they've been locked together and it's a strong brotherhood. It's a strong community. That joy that they have right now, that's because of the energy and the effort, the attitude, the things that you got to have as a football team. That part of it is what builds into that joy and they needed it. They needed to feel that. They felt it a little bit. They haven't felt it as much as we want, but they're striving for it every time and they're relentless about it and I'm proud of them for that."

On the message to Drones following his red zone interception:

"The great thing about him is you don't have to go through that scenario with him. Hey, we're going to get the ball back. You're going to have opportunities to keep going and making plays. And he stepped up and just continued to kept going making plays. It's one play. I probably could have gave him a better call. Who knows, right? But at the end of the day, guy played his tail off. Was a huge factor in us being able to win this football game. And you saw it there late in the game, how he put it on his shoulders and he went and got it done. And that dude's special."