If there’s anything Paul Petrino can’t stress enough of what he needs the most in his first year as Idaho coach, it’s speed.
That would explain the No. 4 jersey running all over the place during the first two weeks of Idaho football practice.
Curtis Ginnetti | Argonaut
Running back Richard Montgomery runs a play during the Vandals’ first scrimmage of the 2013 season Aug. 17 on the SprinTurf
Coming off a senior season when he became the first player in his high school’s three-year history to run for more than 1,000 yards, Richard Montgomery just needed an opportunity.
Nearly three weeks into fall practice the two parties have proven to be exactly what each was looking for – Petrino has praised his freshman running back on multiple occasions.
“He’s a stud, I would say,” Petrino said after Montgomery rushed for 93 yards on 10 carries in the first fall scrimmage. “He’s hard to tackle, fast, just got to keep getting him better and he can be really really special.”
“He’s always got a smile on his face, he likes football, he doesn’t get tired, he’s too athletic,” Petrino said a week later after Montgomery managed 73 yards receiving during last Saturday’s scrimmage.
And then this from Petrino during the first week of practice: “He can fly.”
Before Montgomery could fly on the practice fields next to the Kibbie Dome with a football in his hand, he had to get onto an airplane for the first time in his life to fly to Moscow from his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla. It was a flight he was gladly willing to take for an official visit to the only FBS football program to offer him a scholarship.
“There wasn’t many opportunities, and that one presented himself. He didn’t care where it was, it was Division-I,” Kevin Sullivan, his coach at Atlantic Coast high school, said.
Student of the game
In Kevin Sullivan’s 23 years of high school coaching he says he’s just about seen it all when it comes to recruiting. The one thing he says he never does is lie to college coaches about if he thinks one of his players could pan out or not. Even with his track record and his words of recommendation he was baffled that Montgomery wasn’t getting a look.
So he got on the phone with his friend of nearly 15 years, the newly hired head coach of the Idaho Vandals.
“They don’t get enamored with physical size so much but he knew he had to upgrade the speed factor,” Sullivan said. “I trust Paul (Petrino), and I trust (Kris Cinkovich) and I know they know how to handle him. They’ll coach him hard like we do. They’ll love him, try to make him a better person.”
Montgomery has been described by his coaches at both the high school level and at Idaho as a learner and a hard worker — someone whose work ethic has propelled him up the depth chart.
“Richard works really hard at everything he does. When we’re in the classroom and we’re teaching he’s always taking good notes and he’s always focused in on what we’re doing,” Running backs Coach Jason Shumaker said. “He takes it and he studies football away from football.”
That kind of inner drive and work ethic, Sullivan said, comes from Montgomery’s background and his desire to make a better life for himself. Montgomery comes from a “not-so-great” part of Jacksonville and an area of town that makes it difficult for players like Montgomery to stay away from violence.
Coming all the way to Idaho, Sullivan said, is a step toward getting away from all of that.
“I knew somebody would take a shot on him and even though it’s a long way from here he’s going to have an opportunity to do some great things,” Sullivan said. “That’s a tribute to him going that far away but he knows it’s going to make his life better.”
Idaho’s scat-back weapon
Montgomery took the hand-off and broke it left tackle, kept his legs churning through would be tacklers who thought they could bring him down below the knees. Seconds later, he was 45 yards away from the line of scrimmage and in the end zone.
A week later, Montgomery set out in motion and as quarterback Chad Chalich took the snap he started streaking up the field, hugging the right sideline and turned around to catch a perfectly placed pass in the end zone.
Through fall camp, Montgomery has proven to be a versatile weapon of speed and skill, which might be too difficult to keep off the field come Aug. 31.
Beyond that, though, is the attitude he’s brought to Idaho’s running backs group.
“He just plays hard and has fun making plays. He can run, he can catch it, he can run out the backfield, he can run inside and he can run outside.” Petrino said.
James Baker and Kris Olugbode have sat out during the fall, giving Montgomery a plethora of repetitions with the first team.
“They better get healthy, or they’re going to watch number four run around making plays,” Petrino said.
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]