The Virginia football team welcomes Kent State to town Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. It is the final non-conference game of the season for the Cavaliers, who will try to surpass last season’s win total with a victory. The Hoos are heavily favored in their first ever meeting with the Golden Flashes and watching KSU video, it’s easy to see why.

Let’s break down some elements of this week’s contest.

Screen Play With Sequels

Kent State has had trouble protecting the pocket in games against Ohio, South Alabama, and Ohio State. That was especially true, as you probably would expect, in the game with the Buckeyes where the Flashes were overmatched physically. The same will be true this weekend against Virginia’s front line, which is teeming with pro prospects.

Obviously, the KSU coaches are aware of these challenges and they scheme to counter some of that pressure. The main tactic in use? A variety of screen plays. In fact, the very first play I turned on when viewing YouTube videos of Kent State in action was a screen play and the theme became apparent in more clips. That first play came against Ohio, a game the Golden Flashes lost 17-14 on a game-winning field goal by the Bobcats.

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