Armstrong's confidence in UVa's offense soars this spring
After having spring 2020 wiped off the map due to the pandemic, Brennan Armstrong went into his first season as UVa’s starting quarterback without the kind of chemistry building most signal callers thrive on.
Then early this spring he lost his most effective weapon, when Lavel Davis suffered an ACL injury that will likely cost him all—but certainly most—of the fall campaign.
And yet on Saturday in Virginia’s final spring practice, the lefty had plenty of options to throw to and clearly looked comfortable in the process.
It might not have been his sharpest day but it didn’t seem to budge his confidence one bit.
“I think we could be the best offense in the ACC, honestly,” he said. “With the weapons we have, the O-line that's back, the running backs and the depth we have at running back, which will allow them to run even harder and do different things, and the skillset we have in the backfield too. Obviously in the spring I didn't get to use my feet too much, but I’ve still got my feet with me. I can still scramble and do all those other things that I'm kind of accustomed to.
“Yeah, it could be pretty dangerous,” Armstrong added. “I’m just excited because this is just the beginning of the offseason. We just got to it. We have a big summer workout coming up, have workouts and then fall camp, but we have a lot to improve on. But I'm super excited where we're at now and we’ve just got to continue to get better.”
That excitement makes sense given that even without Davis UVa is expecting to have Dontayvion Wicks back to full form, and he had an impressive showing on Saturday afternoon. In addition, the Hoos return Billy Kemp, Ra’Shaun Henry, Keytaon Thompson, and several younger pieces that could become big factors like Nathaniel Beal and Demick Starling. And perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle aside from the first four is Oklahoma State transfer TE Jelani Woods, a player that Bronco Mendenhall has raved about this spring.
“We have a lot of good concepts that we kind of added in this year and just knowing my progressional read but also picking up on keys with our defense when they would rotate a certain way, that I can get my eyes directly to another spot,” Armstrong explained. “I think my eye transition to different routes has been a lot quicker and it just allows me to get the ball out faster. And when I get the ball out faster, it gives the receivers a little bit more cushion to make the play. If they get the ball in their hands faster, they have more time to maybe shake a defender and get more yards after the catch.”
During the scrimmage portion of Saturday’s practice, Armstrong linked up plenty with Wicks and Thompson. It’s a duo he has high expectations for this year.
“I think they're going to add threats down the field,” Armstrong said. “I feel like that’s kind of our goal, is push the ball down the field this year. And with Wicks there and KT starting to develop a lot and roll into the receiver realm, this is going to allow us to keep the ball and push it down the field to score touchdowns.”
In Wicks specifically, the Cavaliers have known for a while about his potential. A Lisfranc injury during camp last year robbed him of his sophomore season but Armstrong has no doubt about the two of them being able to build on what they’ve done to date.
“As soon as he stepped on, when we talked, Bryce Perkins was the quarterback here when he first got here, but we always knew he was special,” Armstrong said of Wicks. “He got banged up that first year and had to battle through some injuries but then after that, now it’s just him getting on the field and we keep continuing our chemistry. Obviously today, for anybody that saw the spring game, he made a lot of good plays down the field and that's exactly what we want. We both have places to improve and places to still continue to have good chemistry with but other than that, I mean, you can just see his skillset for itself on the field.”
While Virginia would certainly love to have both Wicks and Davis on the field together, there is at least some solace in getting the former back as the latter is unavailable.
“Oh man, I don't know,” Armstrong said when asked to compare the two. “I really think every one of our guys are unique. Lavel being so tall but so athletic too. Wicks, he's very versatile too, with speed in and out of breaks. His jumping ability, leaping ability. I don't know if I can really pinpoint comparison. I think they're their own person in what they do, but they both have the same effect with that deep threat and being a problem or being someone to worry about on the field. So I think they both bring that for sure.”
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