He was getting rid of the ball so quickly that Tech had little time to generate pressure in the backfield. Whenever Armstrong did feel some heat, he was able to easily escape the pocket for positive yardage as he did on his second touchdown run.
Armstrong scrambled out of the pocket and bulldozed his way past three defenders at the goal line for the 5-yard touchdown to put his team up 21-14 with 3:32 left in the half.
Tech kept pace in the early going with a series of explosive plays including a 61-yard touchdown throw from Braxton Burmeister to Tayvion Robinson. It was only the third passing play of the season of over 50 yards for the Hokies and the longest catch of Robinson’s career. Robinson had three catches at the half for a season-high 89 yards.
Burmeister also had a career long 71-yard rush in the half. He was tackled out of bounds at the 3-yard line, but Tech turned it over on downs at the goal line.
Virginia probably should have been up by at least a pair of touchdowns at the half, but a pair of miscues proved costly.
The first came early in the second quarter when Armstrong threw an interception inside Tech’s 35-yard line. Armstrong didn’t see safety Tae Daley on a pass intended for running back Mike Hollins.
Tech tied the game 14-14 with a touchdown on its ensuing drive.
