Tommy Armstrong vs Brad Kaaya quarterback preview
Coming into Week 3 of the college football season, Tommy Armstrong vs Brad Kaaya is one of the best quarterback match ups of the weekend. The Nebraska Cornhuskers make their first road trip of the season, visiting the Miami Hurricanes in a pivotal game for both teams. Last season, the Huskers defeated the Hurricanes 41-31. Can the Huskers complete the sweep of the two-game series?
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Led by Tommy Armstrong, the Huskers have been putting up 38 points per game. Armstrong didn’t come into Nebraska as an adept pocket passer, but he has blossomed under the tutelage of Mike Riley. During the first two games, Armstrong has displayed plenty of poise within the pocket. Most importantly, he’s shown a touch on his passes, not previously seen under the old coaching regime.
So far, Armstrong is completing 63.4 percent of his passes. In two games, he is 45/71 completions for 589 yards, and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, Armstrong has one interception, coming during the BYU loss. However, he bounced back nicely from his miscues in the passing game.
Tommy Armstrong
While Armstrong’s pocket presence has been a pleasant surprise, Brad Kaaya came into college with all the tools to become one of the best pocket quarterbacks in the country. So far, he’s living up to the hype from last season. Currently, Kaaya is 37/59 passing, with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Completing 62.7 percent of his passes, Kaaya will be tested to make accurate throws down the field.
Each quarterback’s performance will depend on how well they handle the pass rush. Everybody knows Armstrong has the ability to run the ball, but he hasn’t displayed any of his duel-threat mobility this season. Including sacks, Armstrong only has six yards on 11 carries. Will we see Nebraska throw in a few more wrinkles for the quarterback run? The Huskers don’t have to call plays for Armstrong to be successful in the running game. However, they can give him the green light to take off when the receivers a covered down field. There will be times when it’s more important to keep the drive alive than it is to be the perfect quarterback.
Brad Kaaya has -11 rushing yards, and he will much rather stay in the pocket and deliver the ball. However, Nebraska’s defensive line can’t give him running lanes during the pass rush. These openings led to Taysom Hill running for big yards in the season opener. Kaaya hasn’t shown the ability of Hill, but look for him to make things happen on third down.
Nebraska’s defense has five sacks on the season, but they’ve had the opportunity for countless others. Kaaya works well in a clean pocket, and delivers the ball on time. If he has to worry about pressure, he may get off his target in the passing game.
Brad Kaaya
Armstrong’s line had problems with BYU’s blitz packages, but relied heavy on the run game against South Alabama. Miami has seven sacks this season, and 13 tackles for loss. Down and distance will impact the play calling for the Huskers. As long as they remained balanced, and keep a steady diet of the running game performing well, Armstrong should have plenty of time to throw.
In the end, both quarterbacks should have a good game. They each have plenty of play makers on the outside, and running backs to facilitate the passing game. Therefore, the Tommy Armstrong vs Brad Kaaya match up could produce phenomenal results, and a lot of points.