Cutter Boley offers hope for Kentucky but offense still falls short at No. 3 Texas
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Game day: No. 3 Texas 31, Kentucky 14
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Texas football game at Austin, Texas.
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A switch to Cutter Boley at quarterback in the second half was not enough to avoid a 31-14 loss at No. 3 Texas on Saturday that officially ended Kentucky’s eight-year bowl streak.
The Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) are now guaranteed their first losing record in a non-pandemic season since 2015.
Boley took over the reins of the offense with Kentucky trailing 24-7 at halftime and quickly offered a spark with a 43-yard pass to Barion Brown, but the offense still failed to score any points in the second half with a more competent passing attack.
Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson briefly gave Kentucky hope though by returning a Quinn Ewers fumble 25 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 with 2:41 left in the third quarter, but Texas ended that hope with an 8-minute fourth quarter touchdown drive.
While Boley completed 10 of 18 passes for 160 yards and one interception, UK did not score any points on his five offensive drives and he was sacked four times. Add a fumbled snap, and Boley was credited for minus-57 rushing yards. Boley might have done enough to claim the starting job for the regular-season finale against arch rival Louisville and offer hope he can lead the offense in 2025, but that potential did nothing to change the outcome in Austin.
Now UK’s only hope for positive vibes heading into a crucial December for roster building is upsetting Louisville to win its sixth straight Governor’s Cup rivalry game.
TURNING POINT
Kentucky trailed by just seven points with 5:04 left in the second quarter when starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff was intercepted at the UK 34-yard line. Four plays later, Ewers hit Gunnar Helm for a 17-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.
A Kentucky three-and-out followed, allowing Texas to mount a two-minute drive before halftime. The Longhorns added a 49-yard field goal just before intermission, essentially ending any hope for a UK comeback from an offense that did not score more than 20 points in an SEC game this season. Vandagriff was benched at halftime after completing 3 of 7 passes for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
MVP
While Kentucky’s defense deserves plenty of praise for keeping the Wildcats in the game in the second half, it had no answers for Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner. He finished the game with 26 carries for 158 yards. He totaled 60 yards on one fourth-quarter drive that ended any lingering hope of a Kentucky comeback. Wisener scored his lone touchdown with 3:10 remaining to ice the victory.
KEY STAT
While the offense looked more explosive with Boley at quarterback and coordinator Bush Hamdan left no choice but to use an aggressive game plan to get back into the game, in the third quarter Boley took a back sack on a third-and-goal play at the 3-yard line. Kicker Alex Raynor then missed his first field goal of the season, marking the fourth time this year UK has failed to score any points on a possession that reached the opponent’s 5-yard line.
This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 7:10 PM.
