As cameos go, Brennan Armstrong has had some good ones as the backup quarterback for the Virginia football team.

In his first season, he made his ACC debut with a 34-yard run against Louisville. In his first ACC road game, he led a scoring drive that ended with his first touchdown pass on a 56-yard connection with Joe Reed. In his first truly extended action against William & Mary in his second season, he completed 9 of 10 passes for 103 yards. Armstrong checked in for just one pass against North Carolina later in the season and completed it on a fake field goal.

That’s what you call making the most of your chances. It’s no wonder UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall repeatedly has said he likes Armstrong and what the Hoos have with the quarterback. So far, he’s been up to the task every time the coaches call his number and he has risen to the occasion on game day. Plus, Mendenhall said he just seems to make winning plays and make players around him better too.

“First of all, I like his mindset,” Mendenhall said. “He’s a player that thinks he can make every play. He’s very confident. He’s very, very competitive. He has high standards for himself and is actually much better when he’s playing the game than he is in the film room or even in a walkthrough. He’s just one of those players that under duress seems to have the game slow down rather than speed up for him. So, and if you have a choice, that’s where you’d like players to excel.”

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