Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan prediction: Can Cutter Boley spark offense?

Kentucky football will look to build some momentum against Eastern Michigan on Saturday in advance of its first bye week of the season. Here are some final thoughts and predictions about how the game might play out at Kroger Field.

All eyes on Cutter Boley

Mark Stoops has not named a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game, but it would be a surprise if redshirt freshman Cutter Boley does not make his second career start.

Boley took all the first-team reps in practice Tuesday, Stoops said. While offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said starter Zach Calzada had returned to practice Tuesday, Stoops acknowledged Wednesday Calzada’s status was still up in the air due to the shoulder injury he suffered in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss.

Even if Calzada is healthy, Stoops has confirmed Boley will play at some point against Eastern Michigan. A matchup against a Mid-American Conference team coming off a loss to FCS Long Island University looks like the perfect soft landing spot for Boley to get his chance, considering Calzada’s struggles through two games.

“There’s been fast improvement,” Hamdan said of Boley. “I think naturally, when a guy comes from high school to college — and then it’s like, you’re not just coming to college, you’re coming to the SEC — there’s a little bit of the surprise factor speeding up play. But we thought he had a really, really good fall camp. He was sharp. His feet were in rhythm, and so we got a lot of confidence in him.”

The gap between Calzada and Boley was apparently large enough entering the season that Calzada took almost all the first-team reps in practice. But UK coaches went public with their praise for Boley’s work against the second-team defense in the final preseason scrimmage.

If Calzada was clearly the better option two weeks ago, the most likely scenario is he will be needed again at some point this season. Getting him snaps against Eastern Michigan would be important to building chemistry with his new teammates too, but it feels like time to see what Boley can do.

A glimmer of hope for the passing game

Kentucky ranks 121st of 136 teams nationally in passing yards per game through two games, but there was at least one positive development for the passing attack in the loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama transfer Kendrick Law, who did not record a catch in the opener, caught six passes for 44 yards in week two. He had another 37-yard catch-and-run called back by an illegal formation penalty.

“I think he still looked like one of the more explosive players on that field,” Hamdan said. “...I think that’s a guy who we got easy touches to. He’s a guy that can get down field and do all the receiver stuff, but we got to make sure he’s touching it quickly, because he’s got that explosive ability.”

The six catches were a career high for Law, who spent three seasons as a part-time player at Alabama, but his performance against Ole Miss was closer to the role envisioned when Hamdan predicted early in camp the passing attack would largely run through Law. That forecast seemed to change late in camp when UK coaches acknowledged no receiver had separated from the pack to become a true go-to option.

With Stoops directing Hamdan at halftime against Ole Miss to limit the constant substituting of receivers between plays, it appears even more likely Law will be on the field for a featured role.

“I think he’s everything we thought he could be,” wide receivers coach L’Damian Washington said. “He’s super explosive. Good with the ball in his hands. Smart kid, does everything right. And I think he’s electric when he touches the ball.”

Kentucky football injury report

There is no SEC-mandated availability report this week since Kentucky is not playing a conference game. That means Calzada’s status is unlikely to be clarified until pregame warmups Saturday.

Junior cornerback DJ Waller is expected to miss a second consecutive week due to injury, Stoops said Monday. Freshman wide receiver DJ Miller has yet to play this season. His return could be a boost to a receiving group looking for playmakers.

Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan prediction

Already once this season Kentucky has failed to pull away from a Group of Five conference foe, but on paper, at least, Toledo looks like a much better team than Eastern Michigan. If this game is close at halftime, it will be a disappointment. The offense needs to build some momentum, and Kentucky needs to find snaps for younger backups. That could be particularly important on defense to avoid the issues that popped up in the second half last season as UK’s lack of defensive depth was exposed. Kentucky 35, Eastern Michigan 10

The final word

“I think we got 45 guys (on offense) that want to be great, that want to do it for this team. I don’t see a lot of selfishness. I see a football team that’s running the football extremely well. I thought from week one to week two, we were more explosive. We did create a couple more plays. I think that’s going to be the thing all year, how we create those explosives. But if we put it together, that’s a top 20-team we played last Saturday, and we beat ourselves. Otherwise, we’re sitting here at 2-0. So I think there’s a lot in my mind that needs to be improved, but If it does get improved, I got confidence in this group.” — Hamdan on offense’s potential

This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 6:15 AM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription