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Published Sep 10, 2018
Montgomery Delivers VT Week Presser, Keys to the Game & More
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Mark Lindsay  •  PirateIllustrated
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PI AUDIO: SCOTTIE MONTGOMERY'S WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE

GREENVILLE, N.C. - With an even 1-1 record, ECU takes to the road this week (weather pending) to take on 2-0 and 12th ranked Virginia Tech Saturday at Noon in Lane Stadium on ACC Network television.

The Pirates are fresh off a 41-19 victory over 0-2 North Carolina while the Hokies enter the game undefeated after blowout wins over both Florida State and William & Mary.

It looked like the ECU of old on Saturday in Greenville where the Pirates dismantled the Tar Heels and they will be looking for more against a Virginia Tech team that has beaten ECU the last two times while splitting the last four overall.

Third year ECU head coach Scottie Montgomery, looking for added traction after his team was upset by North Carolina A&T in week one still has won only seven games in his 26 outings in Greenville. He is hoping for continued improvement for a Pirate squad that appears to be getting better. But to get the win this week, ECU will have to once again avoid the turnover bug, find ways to limit the Hokies when Virginia Tech has the ball and be innovative on offense.

Montgomery says cornerback Colby Gore came back strong after being knocked out in Saturday's UNC game and being released from the hospital. X-rays were negative and Gore will be subject to a mid-week evaluation medically before he can be cleared to play against Virginia Tech. If he is unable to go, which would not be surprising, look for Michael Witherspoon to step in again where he looked good last week at cornerback.

With Virginia Tech on the docket, Coach Mo says ECU will have to make good decisions at the quarterback, running back and skill positions.

"It's about game winning decisions and we've got to make good decisions at the spots that make decisions."

"If we can stay on schedule and get into some third and manageables and play hard, we'll be fine," said Montgomery. We're going to have to be innovative in the way we go about this game."

Josh Jackson has thrown for 424 yards in his two games this season for Tech while Deshawn McClease has run for 112 yards in his two games for 4.7 yards a carry.

Part of ECU's offensive improvement comes from under center where Reid Herring has already thrown for 599 yards in his two games on 56 of 97 passing for a 57.7 completion rate with three touchdowns against just a pair of interceptions in game one.

Another key may be on the ground for ECU who is using a bevy of runners who all seem to be getting better as the young season progresses.

Montgomery says his team met as a group after the UNC game and talked among themselves about taking care of Saturday night and even discussed Sunday conditioning and other intangibles to make sure there weren't any issues coming into this week.

Reid Herring took a pretty good gash under his left eye in the UNC game, but the swelling was very minimal and he is expected to be ready to go on Saturday. Coach Mo says Kingsley Ifedi is the backup with Holton Ahlers being part of a special package. Ahlers has burned one of his four allowed games without losing his redshirt. Montgomery says he hopes to use Ahlers whenever it's necessary to help the team win ballgames.

Virginia Tech is always a challenge on defense despite only returning three starters. On offense the Hokies' backfield and multiple sets presents challenges. Coach Mo said you also have to account for adjustments and wrinkles that Bud Foster will make defensively.

Gametime is 12:20 on Saturday in Blacksburg when the Pirates take on Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium on the Raycom ACC Sports Network. Tom Werme will call the play by play with Dave Archer as the analyst and Lericia Harris on the sidelines.

Possible hurricane weather moving into the area later this week could play havoc with the schedule. Stay tuned for continuing coverage of Virginia Tech week here on PirateIllustrated.com all week here on Rivals.com for the very latest.

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