Every Record Brennan Armstrong Broke this Season

The Virginia quarterback rewrote the record books in 2021

Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s 2021 season will go down in history as possibly the best single-season performance in the history of the Virginia football program and one of the greatest individual seasons in all of college football.

Armstrong was named Third Team All-ACC, was a semifinalist for the Maxwell award and the Davey O’Brien Award, a finalist for the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and was awarded the Dudley Award, given to the best player in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Let’s take a look at how the record books have been rewritten to make room for Brennan Armstrong’s historic 2021 campaign.

In just 11 games played this season, Armstrong completed 326 of 500 passing attempts for 4,449 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes. Armstrong also added 251 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns for a total of 4,700 yards of total offense and 40 total touchdowns.

This season (excluding bowl games), Armstrong was No. 1 in the ACC in total offense, total offense per game, passing yards, passing yards per game, points responsible per game, and completions per game. He was second in the country in total offense, total offense per game, passing yards, passing yards per game, and points responsible per game. Armstrong led the FBS in intermediate completions (passes of 10-19 yards) and intermediate completion passing yards.

Armstrong set a new UVA school record for single-season passing yards in his ninth game this season. His new record of 4,449 passing yards surpassed Bryce Perkins’ record of 3,538 passing yards in 2019 by nearly one thousand yards. With 326 completions on the season, Armstrong also broke Perkins’ record of 320 completions in 2019.

Armstrong broke the UVA program record for total offense, also previously held by Bryce Perkins with 4,307 total yards in 2019, with 4,700 total yards in three less games played.

Matt Schaub’s 28 touchdowns in 2002 had stood as the Virginia school record for touchdowns in a single season for nearly two decades until Armstrong threw 31 touchdowns this season. Armstrong has thrown a touchdown pass in 17 straight games, breaking Schaub’s UVA record of 14 consecutive games with a touchdown pass in 2002.

Before this season, no UVA quarterback had ever thrown for 300 or more passing yards in more than four games in a single season or thrown for 400 or more passing yards more than once in a single season. In fact, there had only been three games of over 400 passing yards in UVA history. In just 11 games played in the 2021 season, Armstrong had ten games with at least 300 passing yards and six games of at least 400 passing yards.

400-yard passing games in UVA history (courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications)

Armstrong’s 554 passing yards against North Carolina set a new school record and was also the third-most passing yards in a single game in ACC history and the third-most in all of college football this season. He had 538 yards of total offense against the Tar Heels, breaking Bryce Perkins’ UVA single-game total offense record of 490 yards, which also came against UNC in 2019. Additionally, Armstrong had 364 passing yards in the first half against North Carolina, which set a new school record.

Armstrong’s records are even more impressive when you consider that he played only 11 games this season, having missed Virginia’s game against Notre Dame with a rib injury. He also played the last two games of the season with the injured ribs. Had Armstrong played a full 12-game regular season healthy or had Virginia played in the Fenway Bowl, which was canceled due to COVID-19 issues in the UVA football program, Armstrong would have certainly broken even more records.

Armstrong was 145 passing yards away from breaking the Atlantic Coast Conference record for single-season passing yards, held by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson with 4,593 passing yards in 2016. There is little doubt Armstrong would have surpassed that record had the Fenway Bowl been played.

Single-season passing yard records in ACC history (courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

Armstrong’s 404.4 passing yards per game set a new ACC record for passing yards per game, previously held by Duke’s Anthony Dilweg with 347.6 passing yards per game in 1988.

Armstrong was 562 yards away from breaking the ACC’s single-season total offense record held by Lamar Jackson. There was only a small chance of Armstrong breaking that record in the Fenway Bowl, but he did have 538 yards of total offense against North Carolina this season, so it was not impossible.

Armstrong is also 191 yards away from breaking UVA’s career total offense record held by Bryce Perkins. Armstrong could still break that record if he decides to come back to Virginia for another season.

The entire UVA fanbase is waiting with bated breath to hear if Brennan Armstrong will be returning to Virginia for another season or if he will move on and declare for the NFL Draft. If Armstrong’s time as a Cavaliers is over, then he has already cemented himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the Virginia football program. The numbers are certainly there to support it. 

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