Kentucky opens 2025 season with win over Toledo, but offense struggles again
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky opened 2025 with a 24-16 win despite continued offensive struggles.
- UK’s defense limited Toledo to 149 yards in three quarters, led by Soles’ strip sacks.
- Transfer RBs Dowdell and McGowan combined for 207 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns.
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Gameday: Kentucky 24, Toledo 16
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Toledo football game at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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Kentucky football avoided disaster in its season opener with a 24-16 win against Toledo.
But it is unlikely many UK fans left Kroger Field excited about the Wildcats’ 2025 outlook after last season’s offensive struggles continued. Thanks to two late scoring drives, Toledo actually outgained Kentucky 329-305 yards on the afternoon.
The offensive showing from Kentucky was even worse than the statistics indicated considering 79 of those yards came on one touchdown run from Dante Dowdell in the fourth quarter. The only touchdown in the first three quarters came when the defense gave it the ball inside the Toledo 30-yard line with an interception. Toledo’s only points in the first three quarters came on a second-quarter safety that largely negated the momentum created by a goal-line stop from UK’s defense.
Incarnate Word transfer quarterback Zach Calzada completed just 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards and one interception in his Kentucky debut. Dowdell, a transfer from Nebraska, contributed 129 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. New Mexico State transfer Seth McGowan added 78 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.
Toledo, the preseason Mid-American Conference favorite, was a popular upset pick entering the weekend thanks in large part to two wins over Power Four conference teams last season, but the Kentucky defense controlled the game for most of the afternoon.
Kentucky held Toledo to 149 yards in the first three quarters. The Rockets found some momentum in the fourth quarter with scoring drives of 69 and 95 yards but never pulled closer than eight points. The first of those touchdown drives made it 17-9 with 9:38 left, but Dowdell immediately answered with his 79-yard touchdown run. Kentucky recovered an onside kick with 1:54 remaining after Toledo’s final touchdown.
Turning point
Considering it took until the fourth quarter for either team to mount a sustained scoring drive, the key moment came just five minutes into the game when Kentucky cornerback JQ Hardaway intercepted a Tucker Gleason pass at the Toledo 29-yard line. Eight plays later Kentucky scored its first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard Calzada keeper. It was the only touchdown for either team in the first three quarters.
MVP
On a day where Kentucky’s defense led the way, sophomore outside linebacker Steven Soles deserves special recognition for two strip sacks. While Toledo recovered the fumble both times, Soles stepped up in key moments. Both sacks came on third down to force punts. The second came as Toledo approached midfield in the second quarter.
Key stat
Toledo coach Jason Candle was aggressive in his decision-making as he looked for a second road upset of an SEC team in two years, going for a fourth down twice in the second quarter. Kentucky stopped the first on fourth-and-2 at the UK 4-yard line. The sting of that play was negated by a tackle of Calzada in the end zone on the next play, but Kentucky stopped Toledo again on a fourth-and-1 play at the UK 48-yard line later in the half. Toledo finished the game 1 for 4 on fourth downs.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
