place, I love playing here — I couldn't ever see my- self doing anything else,'' said Armstrong, a red- shirt junior from Ottawa, Ill., who's battling to be the No. 3 linebacker on defense alongside Mike Taylor and Chris Borland. In this sense, Arm- strong said that he has to prove to himself that "I can do it, that I can come back and be the same player and play at the same level that I was before the injury.''
Armstrong had surgery on one hip in December, and the other hip in January. "Physically, I'm as healthy as I'm going to get,'' he said.
Before he could continue, he was interrupted and asked, "What does that mean?'' You're as healthy as you're going to get? "It means I'm feeling good,'' said Armstrong, who missed spring practice while he was recov- ering from surgery. "I'm full-go, I'm 100 percent. Obviously, there's going to be a little soreness, a
34 » VARSITY AUGUST 9, 2012
Having endured so many setbacks, Armstrong just wants to prove that he can be a steady contributor. "I've tried to stay as positive as I could, but it has been tough, any injury is,'' he said.
little bit of tightness from day to day. But it's about maintaining and staying as healthy as I can.'' Armstrong is 21. Does he ever feel like he's 61 when he gets up in the morning? "As long as I wake up with the right mindset I'm good to go,'' he said, smiling. That's a pretty refreshing attitude which he also
