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12 CAVALIER CORNER BY JIM DAVES I t is hard to stump Brennan Armstrong. Confidence, swagger and flair are all part of the record-setting Virginia quarterback's character on the field. But ask him who he would have voted for as the top male student- athlete at Virginia last year and he can't pull the trigger. It was Armstrong who was voted by his peers during the annual Hoos Choice Awards as the WINA Award winner honoring the Cavaliers' top male student-athlete. But the competition was stiff. The other finalists included men's lacrosse All-American Con- nor Shellenberger, NCAA champion Claudio Romero from the men's track and field pro- gram and Matt Brownstead from the men's swimming and diving team. "I know a lot of those guys, and they're all ballers in their sport, too," Armstrong said. "I don't know who I would have picked because they're all deserving of it. Looking back on their seasons, every one of them deserved it. I wouldn't be able to pick one." Playing quarterback at Virginia for an offense that shattered the Cavalier record books certainly gained Armstrong a good deal of notoriety among his fellow student- athletes. Being humble and hard working with a bit of an underdog mentality were other factors that make him popular among his peers. "It meant a lot to me," Armstrong admit- ted. "All of us who were nominated put in a lot of hours into our sports, and I respect everyone that was considered. It feels good to see my hard work pay off. It means a lot to me." Playing in a pass-oriented offense, Arm- strong blossomed and turned into one of the nation's most productive offensive play- ers, along the way crushing numerous Cava- lier passing and total offense records. Armstrong broke UVA's single-season pass- ing record in just nine games, finishing with 4,449 yards, and also set Virginia's single- season records for total offense (4,700 yards), passing touchdowns (31) and completions (326). He led the ACC and was top five na- tionally in total offense (427.3 average yards per game), passing yards, passing yards per game (404.5), completions per game (29.6) and points responsible for per game (22.5). On a national scale, Armstrong had three of the top 11 passing performances by an FBS quarterback during the season. He topped that with an amazing performance at North Carolina where he threw for 554 yards, the third most by an FBS quarterback. Armstrong threw for 300 or more yards 10 times and 400 yards six times in 11 games played, both school records. Prior to the 2021 season, a UVA quarterback hadn't thrown for 300 yards more than four times (Matt Schaub and Bryce Perkins) in the same season or thrown for 400 yards twice in the same season. How did those numbers stack up from a college football historical perspective? Arm- strong joined an elite list of college quarter- backs that had seasons with at least 4,300 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 250 rushing yards, and 5 rushing scores. Since 2013, that group includes Marcus Mariota, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow. Armstrong is quick to credit his support- ing cast for his individual success. "We were super-productive and it started up front with our five O-linemen," Armstrong said. "While we didn't run the ball a lot, our backs stepped up and made plays and were great at blocking and providing protection. "We have a lot of great guys here who do their job and know what is going on. The key is, they're all unselfish. Look at our receivers. We've got a lot of playmakers out there and everyone wants the ball and to make plays. But those guys, because they spend so much time together, working together on their own in the summer, the work in the spring and the fall, there is real unselfishness between those guys. That was the key to what we were about to do on offense last year." Armstrong opted to return to UVA for the 2022 season after getting an evaluation from the National Football League on his draft status. With new head coach Tony Elliott and an almost entirely new coaching staff, his role figures to change during his last season in a Cavalier uniform. Elliott has preached a more balanced approach — being able to effectively run the football — and not be so pass oriented. Armstrong is happy with that. The one statistic he wants to improve on is the win- loss column. He knows with the return of receivers Keytaon Thompson, Dontayvion Wicks and Billy Kemp as well as Lavel Davis coming back after missing the 2021 cam- paign due to a knee injury, the Cavaliers will once again be one of the nation's most explosive offenses. For now, he is concentrating on the small things to make him better. He will take more snaps from center and have more three- and five-step drop backs after operating almost exclusively from a shotgun formation the past two years. "There are just small things I haven't done a lot or been accustomed to," Arm- strong said. "That's key to get those things down so you're not thinking about them when you are out there on offense. At that point, you're just trying to make a play." No doubt the Cavaliers' top playmaker will be in the running for the athlete of the year award again next spring. RARE AIR RARE AIR Brennan Armstrong Tops A Talented Field To Earn UVA's Top Male Athlete Honor Armstrong broke UVA's single-season passing record in just nine games, finishing with 4,449 yards, and also set Virginia's single-season records for total offense (4,700 yards), passing touchdowns (31) and completions (326) in 2021. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR