Did Cutter Boley do enough to keep the starting job for Kentucky football?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cutter Boley threw for 240 yards, 2 TDs in win over Eastern Michigan.
- Kentucky offense posted 7 completions of 20+ yards after 3 total in 2 games.
- Coach Mark Stoops withheld naming a starter despite Boley's strong showing.
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Gameday: Kentucky 48, Eastern Michigan 23
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Eastern Michigan football game at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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Whether or not you believe Kentucky has a quarterback controversy likely depends on how much stock you put into blowing out an overmatched opponent.
Making his second career start and first of the season, redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley completed 12 of 21 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Meanwhile, former starter Zach Calzada watched from the sideline in uniform but was only available in an emergency situation due to a shoulder injury.
“I was pleased with the way he operated,” UK coach Mark Stoops said of Boley. “I really was. I don’t think it’d be right for me to make that decision (on the starter) right here and now. I was pleased with the way he played.”
Eastern Michigan entered the game having already lost to Texas State and FCS-level Long Island. The challenge Boley faced Saturday certainly did not compare to any defense Kentucky will face in SEC play this season and was likely even a significant step down from the Toledo team Calzada struggled against in the season opener.
But even accounting for the quality of opponent, Kentucky’s offense certainly looked more dangerous in week three than at any point through the first two games.
“I just stayed in the moment,” Boley said. “I feel like that’s been a big thing for me. It’s just not making things more than they are. Kind of staying to me, saying true to myself.
“I’ve prepared every week like I’m the starter, and I’ve just maxed out my preparation to make sure I’m as comfortable as I can be when I get in there. And that’s paid dividends.”
Boley needed only to hand the ball twice to Seth McGowan on the Wildcats’ first drive, which started at the Eastern Michigan 10-yard line after a Daveren Rayner interception, but on the second drive he started to show his promise.
He hit tight ends Josh Kattus and Willie Rodriguez for gains of 23 and 25 yards. Later in the half, he found both tight ends for 4-yard touchdowns. One of Boley’s best throws of the night also went to Kattus, a 34-yard gain in the second quarter on which Kattus showed impressive composure to secure the ball while falling out of bounds.
That’s the type of catch that Kentucky receivers have rarely made in recent years. To succeed, Boley needs help on contested catches like that one.
His timing was perfect on a short pass to Kendrick Law in the third quarter, though what first looked like a 27-yard touchdown instead went in the books as a 23-yard gain due to a holding penalty near the goal line. He hit Ja’Mori Maclin for a 36-yard gain over the middle.
“I think the frustrating part for us has been the self-inflicted wounds that we’ve had early on,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “I think we can be aggressive. We can go make plays, explosive plays.”
Boley was not perfect.
On Kentucky’s third drive of the game, he forced a throw to Law into double coverage on third down. The ball bounced off the hands of an Eastern Michigan defender out of bounds, but it could have easily been intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
Boley proved willing to make plays with his legs, but he appeared to miss an open receiver on at least a couple of his scrambles.
“I felt like his awareness seemed to be pretty good,” Stoops said. “I think when he buys time and scrambles and has a lot of time, it’ll be different against different opponents. So that’s something we got to look out for, but overall, he looked pretty comfortable back there.”
Perhaps Calzada would have also shined had he played against Eastern Michigan, but he completed just 25 of 53 passes for 234 yards and one interception before his injury. To bench Boley after the offense tied its most points in a game since 2021 would seem counterproductive.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback for Kentucky at South Carolina, the game plan will surely start with maintaining the rushing success the Wildcats have enjoyed through three games. McGowan topped the 100-yard plateau for the first time at UK Saturday despite recording just one carry in the fourth quarter. He added three touchdowns.
UK has had two different 100-yard rushers through three games. The other, Dante Dowdell, was limited by a thigh injury against Eastern Michigan.
But for Kentucky’s rushing success to continue in conference play, it must find more offensive balance than it showed in the first two games. Finding explosive plays in the passing game will be key to that goal, and Boley supplied seven completions of at least 20 yards in his start.
UK had just three of those plays in the first two games.
“I think there’s certainly some things in a first start in a long time that we have to clean up,” Hamdan said. “But I like how he threw the ball. I liked his running ability out there. He just gave us life.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 12:22 AM.
