Arkansas football wide receiver Andrew Armstrong was a standout in a less-than-stellar Razorbacks offense a year ago, and he had a lot to say after the Hogs' first spring practice on Thursday about new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's offense along with details about the ongoing quarterback competition.
Now a redshirt senior, Armstrong played in all 12 games for Arkansas last season and finished with 56 receptions, 764 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His best outing came against Florida late in the season, when he caught three passes for 103 yards.
Armstrong flashed playmaking potential after-the-catch and will be a primary threat under the helm of Petrino, who runs an offense that Armstrong enjoys.
"Everything just feels smooth," Armstrong said on Thursday. "Everything feels right, with the offensive line, with the receivers, with the quarterbacks. It’s a battle with everybody."
Shifting from a slower, more methodical offense under former offensive coordinator Dan Enos to Petrino's explosive passing attack will take time, but it's a change that could better utilize the existing talent on the Razorbacks' roster.
"Go, go, go," Armstrong said. "Just do everything fast, make sure you’re where you are. Make sure you got your plays down, make sure you’re in the playbook. He won’t yell at you as much as you think he does, he’ll just make sure you got the plays going. I feel like Coach Petrino has come in and done and done an astonishing job of helping us learn plays and things like that."
A lot hinges on the quarterback room, where an ongoing competiton will push everyone to the limit and result in better play. If the offense wants to reach its full potential, someone needs to step up and separate from the pack. So far, everyone is looking good according to Armstrong.
"I mean, it’s fun," Armstrong said. "It’s fun watching them battle, fun having a discussion with them on the timing of routes, out routes, comebacks or a fade. I feel like it’s overall fun. Everybody got their different things, Malachi (Singleton) can throw it deep, he can run. They all can run, all can throw. There’s not really a point I can make for each one, they’re all just great.
"We’ve been throwing like all winter break, like after workouts and before workouts, trying to get up there early and trying to get our timing right. The battle right now, it’s going. I’m pretty sure by the end of spring they’ll probably have sort of an idea about it but right now it’s all up in the air right now."
As the team's returning leading receiver, Armstrong needs to make improvements as well. Becoming a better leader is vital, and Armstrong has made it a priority this offseason.
"I feel like if I bring everyone else around me and things like that, everyone can be great, good, do whatever they can do on the field to the highest ability they can," Armstrong said. "Because I feel like there’s no leadership in the room. Everybody just goes out there and do what they do. So I feel like being a leader is one of the biggest things that will allow me to bring into my game this year."
Armstrong and the Razorbacks will hold their next spring practice on Friday morning. Be sure to subscribe to HawgBeat and follow our premium message board — The Trough — for stories, videos and coverage of every Arkansas spring practice.
