Inside the Numbers: Armstrong’s big day, QB pressure, special teams flubs

Brennan Armstrong played, which was all you could ask if you’re a UVA fan.

And on top of that, he was Brennan Armstrong – 36-of-49, 487 yards, three TDs, one INT, that one being an end-of-first-half Hail Mary.

Two guys had double-digit catches and 100-plus yards receiving – Keytaon Thompson (11 catches/14 targets, 126 yards, one TD, one drop) and Dontayvion Wicks (10 catches/13 targets, 133 yards).

The one thing Armstrong couldn’t do was contribute to the running game, which was reflected in how poorly the numbers were there – just 58 sack-adjusted rushing yards.

Armstrong had his number called for two designed runs, a pair of 2-yard first-quarter runs.

Those were two more than expected for a guy coming off a rib injury that had us trying to read tea leaves as to whether he would play.

Pickett under pressure

Pitt gained 509 yards total offense, actually 22 yards below their season average coming in.

Moral victory, yay.

The number that jumps out at me: StatBroadcast credited the D with 16 QB hurries.

Just three sacks, but, repeat, 16 hurries.

I’ll wait to see how Pro Football Focus draws up the numbers tomorrow, but, damn.

Noah Taylor and Hunter Stewart were credited with three each, West Weeks and Elliott Brown two each.

The sacks went to Nick Jackson, Joey Blount and Mike Green.

Young guns

Weeks, a three-star recruit in the Class of 2021, had himself a day – in addition to the two QB hurries, he had eight tackles and two pass breakups.

Green was also a three-star recruit in the Class of 2021, at wideout, before making the switch to edge linebacker.

Special teams

I pointed this out in the main story, but it bears repeating: Brendan Farrell had allowed just five kick returns on 42 kickoffs all season, but his second-quarter kick following a Mike Hollins TD run was taken by Pitt returner Israel Abanikanda at the 1, and once he got past the UVA wall around the 25, he was able to run untouched down the left sideline for a 99-yard score.

All told, it was just the 10th kick return on, at that point, 69 kickoffs for the coverage unit.

Might have been an issue of not enough reps to recognize Pitt’s blocking scheme.

Whatever the issue, no one set the edge, and in a flash, Abanikanda was gone.

Another frustrating thing to watch: Virginia didn’t try to return a single Pitt kickoff, despite all but one of them (unofficial count) being left in the field of play short of the goal line.

It’s obviously a strategy to just start at the 25, but in a game in which the opponent had a kick return for a TD, it stands out as one that seems like just giving up on a play.

Special teams also got burned on a 38-yard second-quarter punt return by Jordan Addison that set up a short Pitt field goal; and the offsides penalty on a field-goal try that led to a Pitt TD.

So that’s, what, seven for the kick return, three from the punt return, four because of the offsides penalty – that’s 14 Pitt points in all, in a game that Virginia lost by 10.

BTW: Jordan Addison

Dude had 14 catches, 202 yards, four TDs, and the 38-yard punt return.

I don’t like that guy.

Story by Chris Graham