New running backs coach is looking to add toughness to Boise State’s ‘flagship brand’
SM14031.jpg "Former Fresno State running backs coach James Montgomery joined Boise State’s staff in January. He was a running back at Washington State.")
A freak accident almost ended Boise State running backs coach James Montgomery’s playing career.
He dealt with his share of injuries as a running back at Washington State from 2008 to 2010. Montgomery said he was walking off the field during a game his junior year when he felt a sharp pain that knocked him off his feet.
He thought someone kicked him, but after watching the game film, Montgomery said no one was around. Team doctors said it was just a bruise, but pain and pressure continued to build in his leg over the next few hours, so much so that he couldn’t lie still during a previously scheduled MRI.
Montgomery tossed and turned in bed that night, trying and failing to find a comfortable position. His leg was throbbing and by 4 a.m., his girlfriend, Jill Lowery, convinced him to go to the emergency room.
That decision probably saved his leg.
Montgomery was suffering from compartment syndrome, a condition that occurs when pressure builds in muscles or blood vessels, disrupting blood flow and depriving cells, and ultimately limbs or extremities, of much needed nutrients.
It has led to amputations. Jacob Rainey, a former quarterback at Woodberry Forest High School in Virginia, lost part of his right leg after the condition wasn’t diagnosed in time following what seemed like a minor injury.
Montgomery didn’t lose his leg. He got to the hospital and had surgery just in time, thanks to Jill who will soon be moving to Boise with his 2-year-old son, Jaxson.
Montgomery carries a constant reminder of that day. Every time he catches a glimpse of the jagged scar that stretches from knee to ankle, he’s reminded of how close he came to the end of his career and the nine months of rehab it took to get back on the field.
He’s also reminded why he became a coach.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be the same player I was before,” Montgomery said, “but the grit and determination it took to get back on the field and actually play football again built a determination and that ultra love for football in me. It’s what I look for when I recruit guys now.”
Montgomery joined Boise State football coach Andy Avalos’ staff as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in January. He replaced Keith Bhonapha, who left to take a job at Oregon State.
Montgomery said the No. 1 thing he looks for when recruiting any position, but especially running backs, is toughness.
“You’re going to have lightning in a bottle and chain movers, but if you’re tough and can take care of the football and protect the quarterback, those are the makings of a good running back,” said Montgomery, who was Washington State’s leading rusher as a senior in 2010.
The 35-year-old native of Sacramento, California, spent last year coaching running backs at Fresno State and working under offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, the younger brother of former Boise State quarterback and new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Montgomery said he didn’t know Avalos all that well before taking the job at Boise State, but he was keenly aware of Broncos’ success on the field.
“It’s a flagship brand on the West Coast,” he said. “Anybody that walks into this building feels the standard here. I don’t know if you can really describe it, but you can feel it.”
Avalos said he knew Montgomery was the right coach for the job after their first conversation.
“It’s not just about the type of coach he is, his knowledge and his ability to communicate and teach, but why he does what he does and the type of impact he’ll have,” Avalos said. “The crazy part is he was an O-line graduate assistant, so with his knowledge of fronts and those kinds of things, you can’t help but have fun having a football conversation with him.”
Last season, Montgomery mentored Fresno State running back Jordan Mims, who led the Mountain West with 18 rushing touchdowns and ranked No. 2 in the conference with 1,370 yards.
He has some talented backs in his stable again this year, but Boise State’s approach might differ from Fresno State’s. Instead of leaning on a workhorse, the Broncos’ running game may be powered by more of a committee approach.
Redshirt senior George Holani decided to return for another season after he ranked No. 3 in the conference with 1,157 rushing yards last season. It was the second 1,000-yard season of his career, and he missed just one game after struggling to stay on the field because of injuries the past two years.
He’ll be joined in the backfield again this year by Ashton Jeanty, who was named honorable mention All-Mountain West after posting 821 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman last season.
Quarterback Taylen Green also racked up 586 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground last year, and talented running back Jambres “Breezy” Dubar is one of the highlights of the Broncos’ incoming freshman class.
Montgomery said it’s too early in the process to start breaking down schematics or a depth chart. He wouldn’t say how often Holani and Jeanty will be on the field together, but he’s excited to get a look at the group in spring practice, which is scheduled to begin March 3.
He also knows he’s not the only one thinking about how much talent the Broncos have in the backfield.
“Hopefully it scares the defense,” he said. “And whenever you have a quarterback that can run, it changes the structure of defenses and how they attack you.”
