UK football fans share their hopes and fears for the Cats opener vs. Toledo
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky enters 2025 aiming to erase 2024’s 4-8 season with a strong opener.
- Toledo's veteran roster and playoff buzz make it a tough Week 1 opponent.
- Fans express concern over UK’s team cohesion and potential for early mistakes.
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Preview: Toledo at Kentucky football
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Toledo game at Kroger Field.
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On my social media accounts, I asked Kentucky football fans to share their hopes and fears about the Wildcats 2025 season opener against MAC favorite Toledo.
Coming off UK’s 4-8 slog in 2024 and an offseason filled with fan angst, there were a lot more fears expressed than hopes.
Hopes
• From @shrity93 on“X: “My hope is (UK) takes care of business, even if the score is closer than expected.”
Mark’s comment: Kentucky’s goal of flipping the negative narratives around the UK program that carried over from last season’s struggles would obviously be enhanced by winning comfortably vs. Toledo and racking up ample “style points.”
However, your point is well taken: UK just needs to win, period.
• From @GregMesser23 on “X:” What are ya’ll gonna say when we start out 4-0?”
Mark’s comment: I am going to say, “Kentucky won one more of its first four games that I had predicted.”
In my preseason predictions column, I have UK 3-1 after four games.
Fears
• From @shrity93 on X: “My fear is 50 players who have never played together look exactly like that. Sloppy mistakes, undisciplined football, ghosts of Kentucky’s past resurface.”
Mark’s comment: For a UK team with 50 news players on its roster, I think a veteran Toledo team is a tricky draw for the season opener.
• From @RedSox4Life1960 on X: “Kentucky gets down early by 14 points or so and they don’t respond to the pressure of needing to get out of the gate with a win.”
Mark’s comment: Will be interesting to see what the temperature in the Kroger Field stands is if UK comes out and immediately gets down two touchdowns to Toledo.
• From Wayne Mason on Facebook: “I think at any point this season Kentucky gives up 17 points in a game, they lose.”
Mark’s comment: Last year, Kentucky never scored more than 20 points in a game against power conference teams — and only reached 20 twice.
However, this season I think UK will be improved at quarterback, running back, tight end and on the offensive line. The wide receivers worry me, but I do think Kentucky will score more points this year than it did last.
Admittedly, that’s a low bar.
• From Gene McRoberts on Facebook: “3-9.”
Mark’s comment: I am more optimistic about Kentucky’s fate in 2025 than are you.
• From Jamie H. Vaught on Facebook: “Remember, Toledo beat Mississippi State & Pittsburgh last season. It’s a trap game!”
Mark’s comment: I would quibble with describing the Rockets as a “trap game” opponent for UK just because there’s been so much talk about Toledo as a potential College Football Playoff team.
I do agree with your larger point that Toledo is a challenging opening-game foe.
• From @sayeth.itch.io on bluesky: “I fear a repeat of the 2016 home opener against Southern Miss. At halftime, we were up comfortably and it looked like the beginning of a good season. The second half was mistake after mistake leading to a loss.”
Mark’s reply: In the 2016 season opener you reference, Kentucky led Southern Mississippi 35-17 at halftime — only for the Cats to lose 44-35.
Nevertheless, that 2016 UK team did, in fact, go on to have a good season, winning four SEC games, upsetting No. 11 Louisville only weeks before Lamar Jackson picked up the Heisman Trophy and earning Kentucky’s first bowl bid since 2010.
As my Herald-Leader colleague Jon Hale has pointed out, I think the current UK coaches would be thrilled if the 2025 Cats were to take on the offensive identity of that 2016 edition — a stable of capable running backs, a stout, run-blocking offensive line and a quarterback who can pass over the top of defenses off of play action.
Obviously, one place in which Mark Stoops and the troops do not want to mimic the 2016 Wildcats is in losing their first game to a foe from a group of five conference.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 7:30 AM.
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