How Two of the Hokies' Newest Hires Will Mesh to Create An Improved Virginia Tech Offense

In the Autumn of 1993, new Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery sat across the sideline to watch fellow newbie and offensive line coach Matt Moore, slaughter his Tarleton State, side 68-10, with Moore’s Valdosta squad “kicking the teeth in” of Montgomerys Tarleton team.

Since then both Montgomery and Moore have gone to coach at varying levels of football, something Montgomery pointed out in his opening press conference as a Hokie.

“We have kind of been on every level of this thing as you work your way through, and so, uh, I think we're both one of those guys that just humble back backgrounds, hard-working dudes, um, family-oriented. And I thought we hit it off pretty quickly, and that relationship will continue to grow as we work our way through it.”

Both Montgomery and Moore plied their trade in the Big 12, a conference that has long held a reputation of being one of the most offensive-minded conferences in the nation.

“We've played against each other a lot when he was a [Texas] Tech, and I was at Baylor…But I was always impressed with the way their offensive line played. They were physical, uh, they were athletic. They had length about them.” Quoted Montgomery, “and so I think our philosophy coincided together. We have a lot of things in common in the way that we see football and offensive line play. And so, I'm excited to work with it.”

During Tuesday's introduction of Moore and Montgomery, Moore discussed Montgomery’s versatility in the run game.

“They [Baylor under Montgomery] were a run-first physical team, and that's what I liked about his mentality.”

During Montgomery’s tenure as Baylor's offensive coordinator, the former Tulsa coach reeled in 128 rushing touchdowns in his three years as sole offensive coordinator.

Moore comes from Morgantown, WV, where last year, “the Mountaineers were 27th in the FBS in rushing yards per game (192.7) through the regular season…In 2023, WVU’s offensive line helped the Mountaineer offense lead power conference teams in rushing yards (2,976). In Big 12 games, WVU was the only school to finish with more than 2,000 rushing yards (2,211). The Mountaineers also led the league in rushing yards per game (245.7).”

While the numbers are quick to sway those who have loosely looked into Montgomery’s past into thinking this Tech squad will do little work on the ground, both Moore and Montgomerys have highlighted the importance of establishing a run-game that managed fifth-best in the ACC last year with 178.4 yards racked in per game.

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