UNIVERSITY OF TULSA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 31, 2020

Philip Montgomery

Press Conference

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 34, East Carolina Pirates 30

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Wow, what a game. Don't really know where to start. You know, first half, I thought our defense was creating some turnovers, doing some really good things. You've got to give a lot of credit to Coach Houston and the East Carolina players and staff. I mean, they had a good game plan coming in. I think they are a really good football team that's just continuing to grow and gave us all we wanted, obviously, tonight.

Offensively, just really didn't get anything going consistently in the first half. Really just needed to settle down and just play. I mean, we had things open. We just weren't executing at a very good rate. You know, kind of got things calmed down a little bit at halftime. We come out the second half, take the first drive down, score, and I think momentum started to change a little bit, but my goodness, had to battle all the way through it.

You know, those are the type of games that you continue to build your team on, and you know, we definitely had to battle tonight. I can't be more proud of our players and our coaches staying together. We got 60 minutes to play and it took all 60 minutes. Took every second of it, and again, our team, we have got great leadership. We have got guys that are going to fight for each other and battle for each other and like I said, I can't be more proud of them.

Q. After the way you lost games, what's it like to be on this side of it and have it go your way?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Yeah, we've been in a lot of close ones. It was good to see our team just stay confident. So many big plays throughout the game. I mean, the blocked field goal, a couple of fourth down conversions in there, the big catch by JJ. Had a couple drops early in the game and then made some very big plays for us late in the game. Just guys continuing to step up and believing in themselves and believing in each other and you know, when it had opportunities to make plays late in the game, we made them.

Again. I think that's just a sign of our team continuing to grow.

Q. What was that last drive like to watch the lengthy reviews and not knowing how they were going to go?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Yeah, heart's still racing. Again, and there's so many close calls in there. You know, like you said, we've been on the other end of that, and those are difficult. It was good to see our guys just continuing to step up, continuing to do things, and like I said, just proud of them.

Q. You're the guy calling the plays. The kids have put in so much work. They win a couple of games and everybody is feeling good, and you know what happens if you can't finish off that drive. How do you deal with the emotions of that, and how do you make sure that your team is dealing with it the best possible way?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Yeah, you know, I think as you get into those drives, I'm not thinking about that part of it. We're thinking about moving chains, where can we get leverage, where can we find space, and just having confidence in a lot of different guys and a lot of different people. You know, and having confidence in Zach to do his job, and O-Line to do their job. I mean, obviously, under a minute left and we're on the, what was it, 20, 25, something like that, and called a run for T.K. That's just having confidence in our offensive line to do their job and for him to carry it, and knowing that your time's ticking down but trying to get ourselves in the best situations and ended upturning out right for us.

Q. I know you said things were there and you didn't hit them in the first half, but seemed like Zach was uncomfortable, either in the pocket too long or not seeing things, just you know, from TV first. But he became more comfortable as the game went on, whether you call it adjustments or not, how did he settle in?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: I think really that first drive of the second half just was able to kind of get his eyes in the right spot. Got the ball out of his hands a little bit quicker. Guys, we were executing at a little bit better pace.

I think as he continues to grow, you know, they gave us a lot of looks today, and a lot of different pressure things. Not making any excuses or taking anything away from East Carolina and what they do, they did a great job. This week with the weather and everything that we've had, our practice time has been pretty limited.

It was a chance for us to really have to kind of lock in some schematic things, get his eyes in the right spot, receivers hitting in the right areas and getting on the same page and then we got in a little bit of rhythm and obviously second half you see his plays really pick up. And we had some drops in the first half, that didn't help.

Q. The second half performance, extra time to adjust to what they were throwing you guys? What causes that second half juice that you guys get?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: This team, like I said, we've got great leadership. I called the offense up on one side of the locker room down there, but I didn't even get a chance to speak first. I mean, Sleep was right in the middle of it. The leadership is like that and guys just understanding the work that they have put into it and how hard they have grinded through so many different obstacles that have been in front of us and understanding we are a better football team than what we just played in the first half.

Now let's go out. Let be us. Let execute. Let's calm down a little bit because everybody's pressing. It's been 341 days since we have been home and everybody, this home game was very important to us with everything surrounding it; and guys wanted to come out and put a stamp on that, and I thought we pressed in the first half. I think we finally settled down in the second half and started executing at the level that I know that we can play at.

Q. How was it out there for you?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: It was great. It was great to be at home in front our fans. It was great -- this is where we sweat and BLEED and grow together and there's something about being able to come home and play. And our guys take a lot of pride in representing this university, representing this city, and trying to be a bright light in the midst of all of that.

Q. Defensively, your guys have made plays throughout the season, today causing four turnovers. Talk about what might have sparked them playing so well, just executing your plays or what do you think?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: You know, I think really from a defensive standpoint we have a lot of guys with a lot of experience. We are still down several starters defensively, guys stepping up and playing extremely hard; that level that they play at is something that they have put on themselves.

I think we are an attacking, aggressive defense. I think guys are ripping at the ball. They are attacking the ball at the point. They are doing all those little things that you have to do. They are playing within the scheme, yes, but within that, they are doing all those little extras and that comes with experience. It comes with the leadership and guys taking a lot of pride in what they do and how they play defensively.

Q. Was Corey Taylor not available?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: He's fine. I mean, he's a little banged up but he's fine. I mean, he'll get there.

Q. The couple that you guys had a had, was that more the way they were working the ball?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: A couple of those, we just didn't do a great job of our five point of emphasis when we got into traffic. You know, they came after some really good plays and guys are fighting for yards and again maybe just trying to do a little bit too much, trying to get one more yard or two more yards. That's fine as long as we're fighting and taking care of the football while we do it.

It's one of those things we'll re-emphasize like we do everything week, but there's some things obviously that we have to correct off of this tape but it will be a whole lot easier to correct them after a win.

Q. On the final drive, I think third and 21, how hard is that, you get there and two plays away from probably the game being over. What's going through your mind and how hard is that to come back and get first down?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: I mean, obviously, that's not the situation you want to be in, but you know you're in two-down territory; have to be, and so you're trying not to -- you don't have to get it all in one play. Trying to get you to at least a more manageable fourth down, and just able to do that.

Q. Talked about the backfield core being banged up, but how nice is it to have, like tonight what T.K. was doing?

PHILIP MONTGOMERY: You know, T.K., he's been a man all year long. It was hard not having him a week ago, but guys like you said continues to step up. Corey had a great game last week. La'Darrion had a great game last week. But to have guys that you can rotate in there, and we have always been a running back by committee and it's just this year more than any other, those guys being able to come in and play at the level that they are playing at, they are all running physical, they are all running downhill, they can get outside and run. They have done a good job in the pass pro part of it, and so to have that faith in that, you know, it's a luxury that we're happy to have.

Plus, you know, T.K., he's a new daddy. Had a baby on Tuesday. And so he was playing for a lot tonight.