FOURTH QUARTER
5:29 ... Anthony Melchiori has booted a 43-yard field goal.
I'll be heading down to the field, so no more updates until later tonight.
Disappointing second half ... but I'm still encouraged by the fact that Kent State finally proved it can move the ball, and the Flashes did it against a decent defense in the first half.
The five turnovers were simply killers.
After the 10-7 lead, Virginia scored 38 unanswered.
8:59 ... Kent State's difficulties covering running backs out of the backfield have continued. The Cavaliers added an 11-yard touchdown pass from Johns to Parks with 13:43 to play for a 38-10 lead.
That lead is now 45-10 after a 2-yard touchdown run by Mizzell that was set up by the fifth Reardon turnover. The KSU quarterback fumbled for the second time deep in his own territory. The Cavaliers recovered at the 19 and scored five plays later.
THIRD QUARTER
2:36 ... Virginia 31, Kent State 10
This one is starting to get away from Kent State. Virginia has tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run by Johns.
Kent State's offense doesn't have the same spark in this second half. All the momentum was lost with that interception just before halftime, and the Flashes haven't been able to find a way to get it back.
The Flashes turned to Nathan Strock for a series following the Reardon fumble, but that was a three-and-out.
7:06 ... Virginia 24, Kent State 10
Turnovers, both legitimate and questionable, are the reason Kent State has found itself trailing 24-10 after a 5-yard touchdown run by Kevin Parks.
Six plays after taking over at the 19 on the Reardon fumble, the Cavaliers extended their lead.
This and just about every Virginia scoring drive today has seen Kent State lose track of Cavaliers running backs on pass plays. On this one, Johns found a wide open Taquan Mizzell for a first down.
Mizzell and Parks have combined for five catches and 55 yards.
8:46 ... A Colin Reardon fumble on a sack has Virginia set up to add to its lead. Hit by Virginia's Moore. Recoverd by Romero.
Officials checked replay to see if Reardon's arm was moving forward, but this time they got the call right, unfortunately.
10:20 ... Virginia 17, Kent State 10
The Kent State defense played bend-but-not-quite-break on Virginia's first possession of the second half as an 11-play, 57-yard drive ends with an Ian Frye 22-yard field goal.
A 17-yard run by Kevin Parks was the big play in the drive. Parks has 45 yards on nine carries.
Kent State out gained Virginia 204-154 in the first half. The Cavaliers now have a slim 272-260 advantage.
SECOND QUARTER
HALFTIME
Virginia 14, Kent State 10
A questionable-at-best call by an officiating crew may come back to haunt Kent State.
The Flashes probably should be ahead 17-14 at the break on a late touchdown pass from Colin Reardon to Chris Humphrey.
Humphrey appeared to have possession of the football in the end zone a split second before Virginia cornerback Demetrious Nicholson entered the mix and ripped the ball away after a long tug of war.
At the very least, duel possession between Humphrey and Nicholson should have been ruled a touchdown for Kent State. The officials took forever to rule interception on the field. After a review of instant replay, (ACC) referee Stuart Mills ruled that the play stands.
It's a shame. The Flashes are down just 4 points despite three interceptions thrown by Reardon. The first two were on Reardon. The third, I'm not so sure.
At the very least, this young Kent State team is showing some signs of growth.
Reardon is 10-for-22 for 197 yards and a touchdown along with the three interceptions.
Nick Holley has 9 carries for 26 yards.
James Brooks is having a great day with 3 catches, 76 yards and his first career touchdown.
The Cavaliers called two timeouts late in the Kent State drive with the hopes of getting some points on the scoreboard late in the half.
7:14 ... Kent State and Virginia have traded interceptions back and forth.
First, a look-what-I-found pick by KSU defensive tackle Jontey Byrd.
That followed by a screen pass that Reardon overthrew intended for Anthony Meray turned into an easy pick for Virginia's Phelps.
But then Anthony Meray picked off another poor throw by Johns in the end zone. Flashes have the ball back and are on the move ... and with Nathan Strock in at quarterback for the Kent State.
Penalties have been a big issue for Virginia. Another pass interference on a deep throw from Strock intended for Humphrey gave KSU a first down.
14:14 ... Virginia 14, Kent State 7
First chink in the armor for Kent State's defense after two great three-and-outs forced on Virginia's first two possessions.
The Cavaliers answered the KSU field goal by marching 83 yards in just seven plays and taking the lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Johns to running back Khalek Shepherd.
Some key mistakes defensively for the Flashes on the scoring drive. Nobody noticed Shepherd coming out of the backfield on a wheel route. It was an easy pitch and catch for Johns and Shepherd.
A pass interference call against Monday moved the chains earlier. There was a little love tap on the play, but probably just as questionable as the PI against Virginia on the previous possession for Kent State.
15:00 ... The Virginia offense finally started to find some success as the first quarter came to an end, thanks to a scrambling run for a first down by Johns and a long screen pass to Kevin Parks. The Cavaliers will face a 2nd-and-7 at the Kent State 39 when the quarter starts.
FIRST QUARTER
1:48 ... Kent State 10, Virginia 7This young Kent State offense is gaining experience and confidence. I love the way they bounced back after the pick-six, driving right back down the field and reclaiming the lead on a 31-yard field goal by Anthony Melchiori.
The Flashes are being aggressive, testing the Virginia cornerbacks and moving the ball through the air while finding just enough success on the ground to keep the Cavaliers defense honest.
Kent State took advantage of a couple of penalties on the drive, including what may have been a questionable pass interference call on a throw to Pierce. An offside penalty on third-and-12 made the kick for Melchiori just a bit easier. Still a good test for Melchiori, which is just what he needed after seeing a couple of short kicks just miss earlier this season.
5:34 ... Kent State 7, Virginia 7
The Flashes were on the move and looking to add to their lead before a Virginia cornerback Maurice Canaday stepped in front of a quick out and raced down the far sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.
Take that one play away and the Flashes have outplayed Virginia early.
Reardon had moved the chains again with a great play-action throw to tight end Casey Pierce, setting the Flashes up with a first down at the Virginia 41. The pick came on a third-and-4 throw.
8:50 ... Kent State 7, Virginia 0
The crowd at Scott Stadium is quiet and a bit shocked as the Golden Flashes have grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Colin Reardon to James Brooks.
The throw came on 3rd-and-12 with Reardon finding a streaking Brooks as he ran wide open down the left sideline.
The scoring drive was impressive ... 6 plays, 78 yards in just 2:33 with Reardon finding Chris Humphrey and Nick Holley for first downs.
Reardon is 4-for-5 for 88 yards and the touchdown.
The Flashes have tried a few wrinkles today on offense, going with an unbalanced line while running the football on this second drive, Bringing in Teerrell Johnson and putting him next to fellow tackle Reno Reda and 320-pound guard Wayne Scott on the left side.
11:23 ... Kent State already has the ball back thanks to a quick three-and-out pitched by the Golden Flashes' defense.
As expected, sophomore Matt Johns started at quarterback for Virginia as Greyson Lambert recovers from an injured ankle suffered last week at BYU.
Richard Gray made the big play to force the Virginia punt, stuffing Cavs running back Kevin Parks for a 1-yard loss on 3rd-and-1.
The front seven needs to play well today against the run. Virginia likes to set up play action and then throw over the top ... although we may not see as much of that today with Johns starting for Lambert. I talked with some of the locals before the game, and they think Lambert has a bigger arm to go deep.
12:38 ... A few early miscues on offense for Kent State. After moving the chains on a 14-yard pass from Colin Reardon to Chris Humphrey on the game's first snap, two penalties quickly through the Flashes off schedule. A short run to set up 2nd-and-7 turned into 2nd-and-12 after a Kris White false start ... and then to 2nd-and-17 when the Flashes were flagged for delay of game.
A 14-yard scramble by Reardon set up a third and short, but a near pick forced the Flashes to punt away the football.
PREGAME
3:32 p.m. ... The captains are on the field for the pre game coin flip. Virginia won and deferred to the second half. Kent State will receive.
2:55 p.m. ... Kent State president Beverly J. Warren joined alumni, fans and other dignitaries at a pregame tailgate just a few blocks away from Scott Stadium.
For those of you who are fans of the Golden Flashes and have yet to find the chance to meet Warren or listen to her talk about Kent State athletics, try to look for the opportunity. She is impressive. It's also exciting to see her passion for athletics. I just talked with some of the Kent State contingent who are in Charlottesville today and they raved about what Warren's presentation at the tailgate party.
2:47 p.m. ... For the five or six of you who are out there who care about this sort of thing ... former Director of Football Operations Casey Wolf has confirmed today is the first time the Golden Flashes will wear gold pants with their road white jerseys since the Doug Martin era.
If Paul Haynes and his staff are as superstitious as Kent State's basketball coaches, we'll see gold pants on the road for quite a while if the Flashes can pull off an upset.
1:52 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes specialists and a few skill players are on the field at Scott Stadium for an early warmup. The Flashes are wearing gold pants with the white jerseys for the first time since 2012.
This was the most hospitable hotel we've been to since we were in Mobile for the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The Double Tree turned the lobby into Kent State headquarters with a welcome banner featuring the Golden Flashes logo at the entrance, blue and gold balloons in the lobby, pennants behind the front desk and even mini helmets lined up at registration (as you can see in the photo to the right of Kent State radio voice Ty Linder.
10:15 a.m. ... Here's a look at all of the Kent State at Virginia news you will find around the web this morning:
- Elton Alexander writes about Kent State's struggling offense trying to get going today in Charlottesville in this brief preview in the Plain Dealer.
- J.J. Regan of Comcast Sportsnet offers five things to know for Virginia-Kent State from the local perspective here in Charlottesville. That includes "Virginia will lose if... " and "Virginia will win if..." commentary and a prediction that has the Cavaliers winning 31-0.
- Earlier this week, Virginia and Kent State's experts on the Hustle Belt got together for this Q&A. And the Hustle Belt also has this preview of the game.
- The Associated Press calls today a "crossroads" game for Virginia football.
- George Thomas writes that Kent State is looking for a spark against Virginia in the Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Virginian-Pilot preview of the game says "for Cavs' offense, many hands just might work."
- Augusta Free Press editor Chris Graham will also be blogging live from Scott Stadium today. Here's a link to the blog.
- If you have an online subscription to the Record-Courier, here is a link to beat writer Allen Moff's preview.
9:02 a.m. ... I have always been a fan of throwback uniforms. Virginia will wear a look that goes back to the Cavaliers 1967-74 era today, and while it's not quite as sharp as their regular logo, it's a good look. To the right is a shot shared Twitter by @UVAEquipment.
While the Cavaliers 1967-74 era today, and while it's not quite as sharp as their regular logo, it's a good look. To the right is a shot shared Twitter by @UVAEquipment.
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