Two is better than one for new-look Kentucky football rushing attack
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky's rushing attack gained 220 yards, led by Dowdell’s 79-yard touchdown run.
- McGowan and Dowdell form a veteran two-back system prioritizing power and balance.
- Depth concerns and key suspensions highlight need to keep top rushers healthy in 2025.
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Zach Calzada’s favorite part of playing quarterback is the feeling that comes when he connects with a receiver on a deep pass for a big play.
But it was a different kind of thrill that Calzada most enjoyed in his first start for Kentucky. This time, he just had to hand the ball to running back Dante Dowdell and watch as the Nebraska transfer hit an open hole for a 79-yard touchdown run.
“That was my favorite drive of the day,” Calzada said after the 24-16 win. “That was awesome. It just felt like it all came together in that one play. And that was a big moment for our offense and for the team as well.”
The pessimist might argue that Dowdell’s touchdown run — the longest of his three-year college career — skewed the Kentucky rushing stats, meaning the actual performance was not as impressive as the 220 total rushing yards might indicate.
However, while it would be silly to ever predict a 79-yard run, the big play meant Kentucky’s plan actually went exactly as intended.
“We said before the game, we’re going to keep running the ball, keep running the ball,” Dowdell said. “Get three (yards), get four (yards). Keep hitting it in the right place, and it finally just came.”
Mark Stoops’ Kentucky offenses have been largely built around a power rushing attack. At 6-foot-2, 227 pounds, Dowdell fits the mold of running backs who have thrived in Stoops’ tenure, following in the footsteps of Benny Snell, Chris Rodriguez and Ray Davis.
But the 2025 Wildcats might actually be better positioned for rushing success than most of Stoops’ Kentucky teams because Dowdell won’t need to carry the load alone.
“We’ve seen a combination of two, of a big back and a smaller back, or a quicker back, and that tends to serve you well offensively because you’re creating something,” running backs coach Jay Boulware said. “The big guy, and then all of a sudden you’re bringing a shiftier guy in, and now they got to tackle both of those guys the entirety of the game.”
New Mexico State transfer Seth McGowan started the season opener and led Kentucky with 18 carries. He is actually considered the more likely home run threat of the duo but did not break a long run like Dowdell against Toledo. He finished the win with 78 yards and one touchdown.
Boulware compared the combination of McGowan and Dowdell to his 2016 Oklahoma running back group. That season future NFL running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon both rushed for more than 1,000 yards. He pointed to the vaunted former USC duo of Reggie Bush and LenDale White as another example of the type of success a two-headed running back committee can bring a team.
“It’s very rare that a running back in this league can take that kind of punishment with getting every rep for an entire season,” Stoops said. “I think if you asked every coach in general, they’re gonna want multiple guys, certainly in that position. I think it’s important and it’s good. We really believe in those two guys.”
Having true co-starters at running back is a luxury Stoops has only enjoyed twice before at Kentucky.
The 2016 Wildcats used that strategy to great success with Snell and Boom Williams each rushing for at least 1,000 yards. The 2019 Kentucky offense was an aberration, with converted wide receiver Lynn Bowden playing quarterback for most of the season, but three running backs (A.J. Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Rodriguez) each totaled at least 500 rushing yards on the season.
Those two teams are the only Stoops squads with multiple players averaging at least 10 carries per game. McGowan, Dowdell and Calzada each tallied at least 10 carries in the opener.
“We’re going to lean on those two, and they’ve played a lot of football,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “They’re physical.”
Redshirt freshman Jason Patterson, who impressed in two preseason scrimmages while McGowan and Dowdell were held out, adds further depth, but the status of sophomore Jamarion Wilcox, last season’s leading rusher, is uncertain. Wilcox was suspended for the opener for what Stoops called a violation of team rules. He has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning regarding a domestic and interpersonal violence allegation, according to court records.
The only other scholarship running back on the roster is redshirt freshman Tovani Mizell, who was not dressed out Saturday. Walk-on Chy Rivers was the fourth running back for the Toledo game.
The uncertainty on the depth chart behind Dowdell and McGowan makes it all the more important that Kentucky keeps the top two options healthy.
Dowdell has totaled 174 carries in 19 career games at Oregon, Nebraska and Kentucky. McGowan is in his sixth college season but missed most of two years after he was kicked off the team at Oklahoma as a freshman following an arrest. He has recorded 228 carries in 21 games at the Division I level between Oklahoma, New Mexico State and Kentucky.
After losing projected starting running back Chip Traynum for most of the 2024 season due to a hand injury suffered in a preseason scrimmage, Kentucky coaches held McGowan and Dowdell out of both preseason scrimmages this fall. That decision led to fewer hits before the season even started, but it also might have contributed to multiple footing issues in the opener when the running backs appeared unsteady on the Kroger Field turf.
Assuming the two backs grow more comfortable on the playing surface now that actual games have started, there could be even more opportunities for explosive runs like Dowdell’s touchdown. Kentucky’s ability to mount a more competent passing attack than it did against Toledo will be crucial in preventing future opponents from stacking the box to try to stop the run game, too.
Do that, and the two-headed rushing attack could finally provide the offensive identity Kentucky has lacked in recent years.
“I’d much rather have a fresh guy running at guys, rather than a guy that’s just tired and he’s getting worn down and whatnot,” Boulware said. “That’s how we were last year. We had really and truly one guy that knew everything, that could do everything right, and I had some young talented freshmen that didn’t do everything right, that weren’t running the right way.
“...This is a different situation. Now, we got veterans that are there that make the right reads or take the right steps to pick up pass (protection). They’re big, they’re physical.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
