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UNIVERSITY OF TULSA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 8, 2019

Philip Montgomery

Tulsa, Oklahoma

TULSA 34

UCF 31

HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: He made some really good throws in some critical times with everything on the line and just couldn't be happier for him and his outlook and his -- his continual work to be a great quarterback, you know and that's hard to do sometimes as the backup.

But he has stayed locked in and stayed focused and just tremendous, tremendous effort tonight.

Q. You mentioned how Jacob, people only talk about the kicker during bad time but he finally after all that get the game-winning field goal. After what he's been through the last couple weeks, how great to see him make that?
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: He stepped up last week and hit four and then tonight did another great job and then had an opportunity right there to go win it. Couldn't be happier for him. Very proud of his resilience, you know, through all the tough times, because our team did a great job of rallying around him.

He got a lot of unnecessary, undue stuff from the outside part, but our team stayed solid with him. He stepped up, made some big kicks tonight and couldn't be happier for him.

Q. Can you talk about the resiliency of the defense? They made two interceptions and had a pass break up late that caused them to turnover on fourth down.
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Yeah, they just continue to battle. In the first half, they had a couple of big plays in there, and then as we got into the fourth quarter, I really felt like they were really locked in.

We talked this week and we talked today, primarily, but just about those opportunities, and we've been talking about this throughout the year, but you know, in the course of games, you get opportunities and momentum starts to switch; or you've got it and you have to do everything you can to hold onto it, and you can't take a deep breath. You have got to continue to put your foot on th gas. On the sideline, we kept talking about that all night: Here is another opportunity; here is another opportunity.

I thought our defense and our team in general, you know, just really rose up to those occasions. We had opportunities where they went down and scored, and then offense went and answered, and now, that's a big statement right there.

Then defense goes out and starts doing what they are doing, and creating turnovers, big hits. You know, you saw some frustration I think on the other side, and I think our team just stayed locked in and focused. We've been in a lot of tight ballgames all year long and it was good to see our team come out on top of it tonight.

Q. You talked about being close and how that doesn't mean a whole lot if you're not winning games. How much does this validate where you thought all along your team is?
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: I've been saying it all year, we're a good football team. Now we're playing a tough schedule and we're playing really good people and we've had opportunities. Our record could flip completely the other way very quickly I think, you know what I'm saying. I mean, you know, I couldn't be prouder of a group of young men than I am of the ones that we got downstairs, and the way they have been locked in and stayed in with it, through everything and they come out to work every day. We're a tight family down there, and that's the thing that I think has pulled us through all of it.

Q. Going back to, I believe it was the third quarter drive where you are on UCF's around 35, maybe 30-yard line, fourth down opportunity. Any doubt in your mind you were going to go for it at that point, or was there maybe going back and forth --
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Are you talking about the fourth and short one?

Q. Yes.
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: No, not really. Not on that one. The one in the fourth quarter was a little tougher, but on that one, you know, felt good about where we were and I thought our guys were kind of controlling the line of scrimmage right there for a little bit. You know, had a lot of confidence in what we were fixing to do.

So not much on that one. The later one, that's a pretty long fourth down. Great pick-up right there.

Q. Only six carries, but you involved T.K. Wilkerson a little bit more tonight. The decision-making, why he was involved?
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: We got a lot of faith in T.K.

T.K., he's a big, strong, powerful dude. We used him in a couple of different situations, but primarily in some of those short yardage situations.

He's close to 250 pounds and, you know, doing a much better job as far as running behind his pads and he's got a good feel for that. Not scared ever to put T.K. in and going to continue to keep doing that.

Q. Was that a knee injury for Zach? Do you have any idea?
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: We'll just see. It is a knee deal. I don't know how bad it is yet. I don't know the extent of it. Good thing is, is we got a beak right here coming up and got an opportunity to get a little bit more treatment, rehab and obviously we'll get all the MRIs and everything else done and make sure that he's right.

I mean, we are always going to be this way. We are going to take care of our players and just didn't feel comfortable putting him back out there. Got a lot of faith in Seth, but you know, he's a competitor and all of that, but you know, not going to risk something, and we just wanted to make sure we're taking care of him.

Q. I know last time you were going into the beak, you were going to emphasize rest. Is that the main, going into this beak, too?
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Well, we're pretty banged up. This has been a tough stretch, obviously, with a lot of physical ballgames in it. We'll try to get some guys back healthy. Hopefully we can get Jackson back and a few others, and you know, kind of see where we are at from that standpoint.

We are going to enjoy this thing tonight and then we'll figure out the schedule later on.

Q. Was there a fight --
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: I have no idea.

Q. There's a bruise --
HEAD COACH PHILIP MONTGOMERY: Is the eye black? Been hugging a lot of dudes. Hugging dudes. Kissing dudes. (Laughter) whatever makes it work.

After that, when you going to do that -- thank y'all.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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