Brennan Armstrong threw two touchdown passes and also ran for two scores to lead host Virginia to a season-opening 43-0 victory against William & Mary on Saturday night in Charlottesville, Va.
Armstrong completed 20 of 30 passes for 336 yards and no interceptions as the Cavaliers (1-0) posted their first shutout since a 28-0 defeat of South Carolina in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 29, 2018.
William & Mary (0-1), an FCS opponent, was outgained by a 545-183 margin.
Armstrong’s 65-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Demick Starling put Virginia in front 24-0 midway through the third quarter.
Justin Duenkel’s 25-yard field goal made it 27-0 with 1:54 to go in the third quarter. Thirteen seconds later, a snap sailed over Tribe quarterback Darius Wilson’s head and went through the end zone for a safety to make it 29-0.
Armstrong’s 3-yard scoring pushed it to 36-0 on the second play of the fourth quarter. A 9-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Walker Jr. capped the Cavaliers’ scoring with 6:52 left in the game.
The Tribe did have a couple of scoring chances. Ethan Chang missed a 42-yard field goal late in the second quarter and had a 36-yard attempt blocked by Nick Grant in the third quarter.
The Virginia defense set the tone early as the Tribe went three-and-out on their first five possessions, gaining just 17 total yards.
A 55-yard punt return by Billy Kemp IV set up Virginia’s first score, a 32-yard field goal by Duenkel with 12:05 left in the first quarter.
After completing back-to-back passes of 23 and 30 yards to Dontayvion Wicks to set up a first-and-goal, Armstrong ran it in from the 2 to put the Cavaliers up 10-0 in the second quarter.
Keytaon Thompson broke a handful of tackles on a 40-yard run to the William & Mary 7-yard line. Armstrong then floated a 5-yard fade pass to Ra’Shaun Henry in the corner of the end zone for a 17-0 lead with 32 seconds left in the half.
–Field Level Media