Whenever Brennan Armstrong is ready to return to his starting role, Virginia football coach Bronco Mendenhall may have found a way to alleviate some of the pounding the sophomore starting quarterback is subjected to.

Graduate transfer Keytaon Thompson and true freshman Ira Armstead – quarterbacks who play wide receiver when Armstrong is healthy – combined for 16 carries for 117 yards as the Hoos racked up 218 yards rushing in the 40-23 loss to Wake Forest. The duo and redshirt junior Lindell Stone rotated at quarterback, with Stone primarily handling the passing duties.

Thompson’s ability to run the football was proven in his days at Mississippi State, where he graduated from last spring before transferring to UVA. The 6’4”, 215-pound junior rushed 99 times for 672 yards – an average of 6.8 yards per carry – and 10 touchdowns with the Bulldogs. He came to Virginia to compete for the starting quarterback job but suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in preseason camp. The injury solidified Armstrong as the team’s starting quarterback and prompted Coach Mendenhall to move Thompson to wide receiver. Thompson has been working there ever since … before this week, that is.

“It felt pretty good, you know, just getting back there and getting to talk to the guys in the huddle,” Thompson said of returning to quarterback. He finished with 71 yards rushing on 10 carries against the Demon Deacons. “I kind of miss it a little bit, but honestly I enjoyed playing quarterback out there today.”

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