Tommy Armstrong Jr. was named the Big Ten C0-Offensive Player of the week on Monday. According to Huskers.com, Armstrong shared the award with Indiana’s Jordan Howard. It’s the second time, a player from the Nebraska Cornhuskers has won the award after a victory. In Week 2, Terrell Newby earned his spot after rushing for 198 yards in a win over South Alabama.
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So far, it’s been a crazy ride for the Nebraska Cornhuskers under first-year head coach Mike Riley. One shining light of the first month of the season, has been quarterback Tommy Armstrong. Coming into the season, he was a huge question mark, but he’s been delivering for the Huskers throughout the season.
Armstrong set a career high with 431 total yards in the 36-28 victory over Southern Miss. He decimated the Golden Eagles’ secondary with 368 passing yards, while delivering two touchdown passes. In addition Armstrong’s running game added another rushing touchdown to clinch the eight point win over Southern Miss. In similar fashion to every game this season, Armstrong’s 60 minutes of football didn’t go smoothly.
As well as Armstrong played on Saturday, he could have been much better. After an almost flawless first half, Armstrong and the Nebraska Cornhuskers came out sluggishly. He started the first drive with an interception, turning a 22-point lead into a drag out brawl for the final 30 minutes. Well, it was more of an air raid, but one mistake opened the flood gates.
Each week, Armstrong seems to be getting more comfortable within the offense. Therefore, this shouldn’t be the last offensive player award he wins for the Nebraska Cornhuskers this season. For the Nebraska Cornhuskers to be successful, he has to be great.
So far, Armstrong has completed 89/151 passes this season. His 58.9 completion percentage should be a little higher, so hopefully the Cornhuskers can get the rate above 60 percent. He’s on pace to break all of his single season passing records. Armstrong already has 11 touchdown passes, to lead the Big Ten. However, he has five interceptions this season too. With Armstrong under center, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have moved the ball well. He also leads the Big Ten with 1384 yards passing.
Hopefully, the passing game gets a boost in the near future. One thing missing from Armstrong’s repertoire is the big play touchdown. Although the Cornhuskers have had numerous big plays, they haven’t had an explosive play turn into a touchdown yet. When De’Mornay Pierson-El returns, Armstrong’s numbers may explode. Still, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have to wait for that time to come.
Armstrong gets his first chance at a Big Ten defense when the Cornhuskers face the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday.