.png&width=42&height=42&type=webp)
University of Minnesota Athletics
Attention Grabber - Senior Anthony Montgomery
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
No joke, a quarterback! Do I have your attention now?
“We needed someone to step in at quarterback,” Montgomery said, recalling his positional change in high school. “Coach saw me throwing the ball before practice one day, so he put me in for a game. I played pretty well, so we just went with it.”
Montgomery also played well on the basketball and baseball teams as a three-sport prep star at John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to his gridiron accomplishments, he also averaged a double-double and was named the basketball team’s MVP. As a pitcher, Montgomery struck out 60 batters and belted 14 home runs en route to being named a member of the all-state baseball team as a senior.
Such incredible versatility was a welcome “problem” for the Gophers coaching staff. “It was really hard to evaluate him on film because he played so many different positions in high school including quarterback, tight end, and defensive end,” recalled Gopher assistant coach Mitch Browning, who recruited Montgomery. “We knew he had a lot of upside, but we didn’t know what position he’d play. When we first went and watched him play basketball, you could see he had tremendous athletic ability and we knew he was a natural defensive tackle.”
Montgomery’s size and natural ability allowed him to play well as a true freshman when he saw action in the final nine games of the 2002 season. “He was in good enough shape to play right away and the more he played, the better he got,” Browning said of Montgomery’s first year campaign. But as Montgomery’s playing time increased, so did the attention opponent’s assigned to No. 95. Double teams were therefore inevitable.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve pretty much been the biggest guy on the defensive line, so I get a lot of double teams and it’s frustrating,” Montgomery admitted. “Sometimes in the past when I got double teamed I’d relax and wouldn’t play as well as I could. But as a defensive lineman, you’ve got to be confident that no one can block you, not even two guys.”
Montgomery’s confidence in his ability to split double teams has grown as his technique has improved. Part of that he credits to a concerted effort at studying more film. He has been very focused on learning the tendencies of offensive linemen. For example, Montgomery says that if a lineman is sitting light in his stance, then he’s most likely going to pull or pass block. But if he’s hedging forward, then he’s probably going to run block.
The coaching staff is certainly pleased with Montgomery’s dedication to his pre-game preparation. “He’s done a better job of preparing himself,” Bailey commented. “Now he not only understands what other teams are trying to do to him, but also why they’re trying to do that to him. He’s grown leaps and bounds in his play because of his improved mental approach.”
Being better prepared has guaranteed that Montgomery will be completely focused throughout the game no matter who is lined up across from him. It’s something that he admitted struggling with during his career. “I wouldn’t get up the same for the games that I thought we should win and it showed in my performance” he confessed. “So this year I’ve been approaching every game the same because you can lose to anyone.”
Montgomery’s consistency has subsequently shown up on the stats sheet whether facing a non-conference opponent or a Big Ten rival. For example, he recorded four tackles, including one tackle-for-loss in a blowout win to open the season at Tulsa. Then against archrival Michigan, in arguably his best performance to date, he registered another three tackles and one sack. For the year, Montgomery has tallied 23 tackles over seven games, including four tackles-for-loss, two sacks and forced a fumble.
But the highlight among his career statistics is forcing a key fumble during last season’s Music City Bowl. With Minnesota trailing Alabama 7-0 in the first quarter, Montgomery sacked Crimson Tide quarterback Spencer Pennington, forcing a fumble on the Alabama two-yard line. Fellow defensive lineman Keith Lipka scooped up the loose ball and rolled into the endzone, putting Minnesota on the board and propelling the Gophers to a third straight bowl victory. He said the play is the most memorable moment of his collegiate career. “I was able to get the sack that caused the quarterback’s fumble and the ball fell right into Keith Lipka’s hands,” Montgomery said, recalling the play. “We don’t score on defense too much, so that was special.”
Together with fellow senior Mark Losli, Montgomery and Lipka provide the defense with valuable experience and unquestionable leadership. Playing side-by-side for so long, Losli says he knows what the other linemen are thinking even before the play is called. Collectively the three seniors have started 74 games on the D-line, including Montgomery’s 26 career starts. “We can just look at the other guy and know for sure that we’re on the same page,” Losli explained.
Taking notice of his developing leadership, Gopher coaches and players rewarded Montgomery by choosing him as one of the team’s captains this season. It’s a role that he takes very seriously. “I’m honored that they trust me to lead,” Montgomery said of being a captain. When asked to describe his leadership style, he acknowledged that he’s not a real vocal guy. “But at the same time, I won’t hold anything back if I need to tell someone something,” he explained. “It’s my responsibility to tell them if they’re messing up. I won’t sugarcoat it and I think the other guys respect me for that.”
Part of Montgomery’s continual leadership development has included taking personal responsibility to improve his former shortcomings off the field as well. He admitted to being late for meetings in the past, but he said part of growing up has been making sure he’s where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there. “I had to put myself in the other person’s shoes,” Montgomery said of his maturing process. “I used to think getting to a meeting 10 or 15 minutes late wasn’t that big a deal. But now when I give my word, then I’ll be there.”
Montgomery expects to be in the opponent’s backfield often during the last half of the season. He says he’s much more focused on getting pressure on the quarterback and making more plays behind the line of scrimmage. “There’s just something about hitting the quarterback,” Montgomery said, grinning. He explained that it’s the best feeling a defensive lineman can possibly have because he can actually hear the crowd tense up when he’s running after the quarterback.
Gopher football fans will continue to rise to their feet as they awe Anthony Montgomery’s size and athleticism, talent and tenacity. So it seems that No. 95 will continue to be the unquestionable focal point of the Minnesota defense. You simply can’t take your eyes off him.
Story written by Kevin Noth, athletic communications graduate assistant. Anthony Montgomery is naturally the focus of much attention. Standing 6-5 and weighing more than 300 pounds, your eye is invariably drawn to him whether you’re standing on the street or sitting in the stands. But more mesmerizing than his great size is the mobility and athleticism he possesses for someone so large. “For as big as he is, he’s one heck of an athlete,” first-year defensive line coach Carey Bailey stated. “You’re talking about a guy who was a high school quarterback.”
No joke, a quarterback! Do I have your attention now?
“We needed someone to step in at quarterback,” Montgomery said, recalling his positional change in high school. “Coach saw me throwing the ball before practice one day, so he put me in for a game. I played pretty well, so we just went with it.”
Montgomery also played well on the basketball and baseball teams as a three-sport prep star at John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to his gridiron accomplishments, he also averaged a double-double and was named the basketball team’s MVP. As a pitcher, Montgomery struck out 60 batters and belted 14 home runs en route to being named a member of the all-state baseball team as a senior.
Such incredible versatility was a welcome “problem” for the Gophers coaching staff. “It was really hard to evaluate him on film because he played so many different positions in high school including quarterback, tight end, and defensive end,” recalled Gopher assistant coach Mitch Browning, who recruited Montgomery. “We knew he had a lot of upside, but we didn’t know what position he’d play. When we first went and watched him play basketball, you could see he had tremendous athletic ability and we knew he was a natural defensive tackle.”
Montgomery’s size and natural ability allowed him to play well as a true freshman when he saw action in the final nine games of the 2002 season. “He was in good enough shape to play right away and the more he played, the better he got,” Browning said of Montgomery’s first year campaign. But as Montgomery’s playing time increased, so did the attention opponent’s assigned to No. 95. Double teams were therefore inevitable.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve pretty much been the biggest guy on the defensive line, so I get a lot of double teams and it’s frustrating,” Montgomery admitted. “Sometimes in the past when I got double teamed I’d relax and wouldn’t play as well as I could. But as a defensive lineman, you’ve got to be confident that no one can block you, not even two guys.”
Montgomery’s confidence in his ability to split double teams has grown as his technique has improved. Part of that he credits to a concerted effort at studying more film. He has been very focused on learning the tendencies of offensive linemen. For example, Montgomery says that if a lineman is sitting light in his stance, then he’s most likely going to pull or pass block. But if he’s hedging forward, then he’s probably going to run block.
The coaching staff is certainly pleased with Montgomery’s dedication to his pre-game preparation. “He’s done a better job of preparing himself,” Bailey commented. “Now he not only understands what other teams are trying to do to him, but also why they’re trying to do that to him. He’s grown leaps and bounds in his play because of his improved mental approach.”
Being better prepared has guaranteed that Montgomery will be completely focused throughout the game no matter who is lined up across from him. It’s something that he admitted struggling with during his career. “I wouldn’t get up the same for the games that I thought we should win and it showed in my performance” he confessed. “So this year I’ve been approaching every game the same because you can lose to anyone.”
Montgomery’s consistency has subsequently shown up on the stats sheet whether facing a non-conference opponent or a Big Ten rival. For example, he recorded four tackles, including one tackle-for-loss in a blowout win to open the season at Tulsa. Then against archrival Michigan, in arguably his best performance to date, he registered another three tackles and one sack. For the year, Montgomery has tallied 23 tackles over seven games, including four tackles-for-loss, two sacks and forced a fumble.
But the highlight among his career statistics is forcing a key fumble during last season’s Music City Bowl. With Minnesota trailing Alabama 7-0 in the first quarter, Montgomery sacked Crimson Tide quarterback Spencer Pennington, forcing a fumble on the Alabama two-yard line. Fellow defensive lineman Keith Lipka scooped up the loose ball and rolled into the endzone, putting Minnesota on the board and propelling the Gophers to a third straight bowl victory. He said the play is the most memorable moment of his collegiate career. “I was able to get the sack that caused the quarterback’s fumble and the ball fell right into Keith Lipka’s hands,” Montgomery said, recalling the play. “We don’t score on defense too much, so that was special.”
Together with fellow senior Mark Losli, Montgomery and Lipka provide the defense with valuable experience and unquestionable leadership. Playing side-by-side for so long, Losli says he knows what the other linemen are thinking even before the play is called. Collectively the three seniors have started 74 games on the D-line, including Montgomery’s 26 career starts. “We can just look at the other guy and know for sure that we’re on the same page,” Losli explained.
Taking notice of his developing leadership, Gopher coaches and players rewarded Montgomery by choosing him as one of the team’s captains this season. It’s a role that he takes very seriously. “I’m honored that they trust me to lead,” Montgomery said of being a captain. When asked to describe his leadership style, he acknowledged that he’s not a real vocal guy. “But at the same time, I won’t hold anything back if I need to tell someone something,” he explained. “It’s my responsibility to tell them if they’re messing up. I won’t sugarcoat it and I think the other guys respect me for that.”
Part of Montgomery’s continual leadership development has included taking personal responsibility to improve his former shortcomings off the field as well. He admitted to being late for meetings in the past, but he said part of growing up has been making sure he’s where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there. “I had to put myself in the other person’s shoes,” Montgomery said of his maturing process. “I used to think getting to a meeting 10 or 15 minutes late wasn’t that big a deal. But now when I give my word, then I’ll be there.”
Montgomery expects to be in the opponent’s backfield often during the last half of the season. He says he’s much more focused on getting pressure on the quarterback and making more plays behind the line of scrimmage. “There’s just something about hitting the quarterback,” Montgomery said, grinning. He explained that it’s the best feeling a defensive lineman can possibly have because he can actually hear the crowd tense up when he’s running after the quarterback.
Gopher football fans will continue to rise to their feet as they awe Anthony Montgomery’s size and athleticism, talent and tenacity. So it seems that No. 95 will continue to be the unquestionable focal point of the Minnesota defense. You simply can’t take your eyes off him.
Story written by Kevin Noth, athletic communications graduate assistant.
