Kolb said he sat there for 45 minutes and listened to Gundy.
"It was nothing terrible, but it was tough for me to go through as an 18-year-old kid," he said.
Attempts to reach Gundy, now the Cowboys' head coach, through Oklahoma State's communications department were unsuccessful.
Kolb, meanwhile, was taking a chance. Houston had gone 0-11 two years before he arrived. But Briles had fine-tuned his quick-pass spread offense, and Kolb was the perfect instrument to implement it.
"He's good at it because he's quick-twitch muscle," Briles said. "His brain to his hand happens real fast. It's not, 'I need to throw now, ball's out.' Through intelligence comes confidence and recognition, and through recognition comes release."
The Cougars finished 7-6 with a bowl appearance and Kolb putting up some of the best passing statistics - 3,131 yards, 25 touchdowns - in the country. There was a lull the next two seasons - a combined 9-14 mark - but Kolb rebounded his senior season, throwing for 3,809 yards and 30 touchdowns against four picks.
The crowning moment had to be when Houston toppled the Big Twelve's Oklahoma State, 34-25, to open the season 4-0. Kolb's passing numbers against Gundy's Cowboys: 21 for 28 for 313 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Said Montgomery: "Kevin never forgets."
Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.
