SEC football final: Kentucky Wildcats 24, Toledo Rockets 16

A tumultuous offseason for Kentucky football comes to an end Saturday when the Wildcats open the 2025 season against Toldeo.

The Rockets are a popular upset pick among pundits this week thanks to their status as preseason Mid-American Conference favorites and two wins over Power Four competition last season, but Mark Stoops and Kentucky have a chance to make an early statement about the success of a roster overhaul that will see more than half the scholarship players on the roster wearing a UK jersey for the first time Saturday.

Former Texas A&M, Auburn and Incarnate Word quarterback Zach Calzada will make his first start for Kentucky, which has won four straight season openers and has not lost to a Group of Five conference school since 2016.

Follow along here for updates from the Herald-Leader sports staff throughout the game.

Kentucky 24, Toledo 16 (Final)

Few expected the Wildcats’ season opener to be easy, and it turns out Toledo fought to the finish.

But a 6-yard run from Dante Dowdell with 1:18 to play gave Kentucky the first down it needed to put a win on ice and improve to 10-3 in season openers under Mark Stoops.

On a day when the offense often stalled, Dowdell was a stalwart. He carried 14 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, the bulk of the yardage coming on a 79-yard scoring sprint with 9:22 to play that put UK in front 24-9.

Kentucky 24, Toledo 16

Just when the Wildcats looked poised to put away the Rockets, Toledo mounted the strongest drive by either team Saturday, a seven-play, 95-yard march to the end zone that quarterback Tucker Gleason capped with a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Junior Vandeross III. The drive gave Toledo more yards of total offense for the game than Kentucky (329-299).

Toledo’s onside kick attempt went awry with an illegal touch, giving Kentucky the ball at the Rockets 43-yard line and a little less than two minutes to play.

Kentucky 24, Toledo 9

About that momentum.

Dante Dowdell broke off a 79-yard touchdown run — by far Kentucky’s biggest play of the day — on the first play of a drive to give the Cats back some cushion. It was the longest run of Dowdell’s career and gave him 128 rushing yards, the first 100-yard game of his career. The run was longer than any of UK’s previous drives of the day.

Kentucky 17, Toledo 9

Momentum is no friend to the Wildcats today. After grabbing a two-touchdown lead with its best drive of the game, UK allowed Toledo’s most efficient possession of the day, a seven-play, 69-yard drive capped with a 9-yard touchdown run from QB Tucker Gleason.

The Rockets appeared to convert a two-point try to cut the lead to seven, but an offensive pass interference penalty negated the conversion, and Toledo kicked an extra point after the 15-yard setback.

Kentucky 17, Toledo 2

Finally some offensive momentum for Kentucky. Cats go 76 yards on 12 plays for a touchdown. The score came on a 6-yard run from Seth McGowan. Dante Dowdell had a 16-yard run earlier in the drive.

Bad injury news for Kentucky

It has not been a banner day for UK’s transfer portal additions, and now one of the most hyped is injured.

More of the same to start second half

Two punts for each team to open the second half. Kentucky leads in total yards 156 to 123 with 6:23 left in the third quarter. At least the defense has been good?

HALF: Kentucky 10, Toledo 2

The good news is Toledo does not appear to have any answer for Kentucky’s defense. Sophomore outside linebacker Steven Soles was particularly impressive with two strip sacks in the first half (thought Toledo recovered both fumbles).

The bad news is Kentucky’s offense looked largely the same from last season’s dysfunctional unit despite wholesale personnel changes. After an encouraging start, Calzada did little to move the needle. Kentucky has just seven more total yards than Toledo.

Kentucky 10, Toledo 2

Redshirt freshman kicker Jacob Kauwe nails a 45-yard field goal on his first career attempt to extend Kentucky’s lead. UK’s offense still not finding much rhythm. After another fourth-down stop from the defense, the Wildcats went just 23 yards on 10 plays before the field goal.

Game is getting sloppy

Kentucky outside linebacker Steven Soles a fumble, which Toledo’s quarterback recovered, on third-down on the first drive after the safety, but safety Ty Bryant muffed the punt. Kentucky was able to recovered Bryant’s fumble, but the Wildcats gave Toledo the ball again when tight end Willie Rodriguez lost a fumble after a 23-yard gain two plays later. That sequence included three fumbles in four plays.

Kentucky 7, Toledo 2

Well, that was quite the sequence.

Toledo coach Jason Candle elected to go for a fourth-and-2 play from the UK 4-yard line, but Kentucky linebacker Alex Afari stopped Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason on an option run short of the first down. On the next play, Calzada was sacked in the end zone though for a Toledo safety.

END OF 1ST QUARTER: Kentucky 7, Toledo 0

Toledo will have first-and-10 at the UK 12-yard line when the second quarter opens. Former Wildcat running back Chip Trayanum up to 27 yards on seven carries for the Rockets.

Calzada’s first mistake

Throwing on third-and-3, Calzada makes his first error of the day. For the first time Toledo’s pass rush got home, and Calzada tried to get off a short throw to Troy Stellato while being hit. Instead, the ball stayed in the air just long enough for Toledo defensive back Nasir Bowers to intercept it. Toledo gets the ball at its own 46-yard line.

Kentucky 7, Toledo 0

Calzada gives UK its first points of the season on a 1-yard quarterback sneak on third-and-goal. The scoring drive was set up by a JQ Hardway interception at the Toledo 29-yard line. A Toledo pass interference penalty gave UK an important third-down conversion on the drive.

Calzada is 3 for 5 for 14 yards. He has three carries for 8 yards and one touchdown.

Kentucky loses first replay review of the year

Some impressive throws from Calzada on his first drive as a Wildcat quarterback, but what was initially ruled a catch on an acrobatic grab from J.J. Hester on third down was overturned on replay review. The official decided Hester’s elbow hit out of bounds before any other part of his body landed inbounds. UK punts after gaining 24 yards on the opening drive.

Pregame injury updates

Since this is a nonconference game, UK was not required to release an injury report this week. On Monday, Stoops said the team was relatively healthy with only a couple injury situations to monitor through the week. It appears one of those situations concerned freshman wide receiver DJ Miller, who has received plenty of praise since arriving in January. Miller was one of a handful of players not dressed out for warmups. Redshirt freshman defensive end Brian Robinson was not dressed out either, but he was not listed on the week one depth chart and is not expected to be in the primary defensive line rotation.

While you wait for kickoff, here is a rundown of stories to get your ready for the game:

This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 11:30 AM.