By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Cutter Boley made a strong case to become Kentucky’s starting quarterback in a 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday night.
Making his second collegiate start and his first of the season, Boley threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to their highest scoring offensive output of the season and Boley was happy to be in the pocket.
“It was good,” Boley said afterward. “I had a lot of fun out there today.”
Behind Boley, Kentucky (2-1) also amassed 492 yards of offense, its highest total of the year, a mix of 240 passing yards and 252 yards rushing.
“I thought he did a really good job for his second start (of his career),” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “(He) was much better prepared. He operated very good. I thought we were much more clean in our operation tonight. It was a point of emphasis for us all week. I thought he did a very good job of managing the game. I’m happy for that.”
Boley replaced starter Zach Calzada, who sat out the team’s third game of the year after suffering a shoulder injury in the second half of last week’s 30-23 loss to Ole Miss in the Southeastern Conference opener.
Boley took most of the first-string reps prior to his first start of the year and took it in stride.
“I just stayed in the moment – that’s been a big thing for me,” Boley said. “It’s just not making things more than they are. Kind of staying to me, staying true to myself, and I’ve prepared every weekly 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.”
Last year, the Lexington Christian Academy product threw for 334 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a season-ending 41-14 loss to Louisville. He battled Calzada wire-to-wire during preseason workouts, before veteran Calzada edged out Boley to win the starting job to open the season.
In his first significant outing of the year, Boley threw Kentucky’s first touchdown of the season in the second quarter and gave Kentucky’s offense the boost it needed as the Wildcats prepare for a brutal stretch that includes games at conference foes South Carolina, Georgia and Texas in the next five weeks.
It was Kentucky’s defense that helped Boley engineer his first successful scoring drive of the season. Daveron Rayner’s interception on the first play of the game set up Seth McGowan’s 4-yard touchdown run on a two-play drive that spanned 39 seconds.
The miscue was Eastern Michigan’s first turnover of the season and one that set the tone for a much-needed easy victory for the Wildcats.
On Kentucky’s second series, Boley completed a 23-yard pass and a 25-yard completion that set up McGowan’s 12-yard touchdown run, giving the offense the start it needed to produce a double-digit lead.
McGowan complemented the passing game and rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats continued their dominance on the ground.
In the first two games of the season, the Wildcats just missed executing several explosive plays on their deep shots down field. Boley was productive on most of his long passes, including eight big plays featuring four plays that went for more than 30 yards.
“The five guys up front do a lot of work,” Boley said. “I don’t know if there’s another five guys I’d rather have in front of me in the country, but those dudes can ball, and they give me a lot of time. The dudes on the outside – we’ve got weapons all over the place. It’s really, really easy being out there with all those guys.”
Behind Boley, the Wildcats rediscovered their passing game and the sophomore signal proved he can do more than serve as a backup and carry a clipboard on the sideline.
Stoops and the coaching staff have two weeks to determine a path moving forward. Will it be Calzada or Boley? An open date next week will give the coaching staff time to make that decision.
Gametracker: Kentucky at South Carolina, TBA, Sept. 27. TV/RADIO: TBA, UK Radio Network.