By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Cutter Boley will make his third career start when Kentucky takes on South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia.
Boley was listed ahead of Zack Calzada on the depth chart released Monday. Calzada started the first two games before injuring his shoulder in the second half of Kentucky’s 30-23 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 6 at Kroger Field.
“Cutter has done some really good things, and you have heard me talk about him many different times,’ Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said Monday. “We’ve watched him play in other games and show flashes. We have been very confident in Cutter. And I have also told him the whole time, ‘You are going to get your opportunity. It is about what you do and how you play when you get that opportunity.’
Boley took advantage of his first start of the season in Kentucky’s 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 13. He threw for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Stoops said the outing by Boley is “a lot to build on.”
“He is getting more confident and he’s getting more comfortable with every rep,” Stoops said. “… it is easy for all of us to watch the film afterwards and dissect it and maybe have some opportunities that were there that maybe were missed. But overall, he was very comfortable, he’s very confident, and he played well.”
Stoops said the fact that Calzada hasn’t been 100 percent “to this point” and a “combination of a lot of things” elevated Boley to the top of the depth chart this week.
Stoops added that Boley, a sophomore, has blossomed into a leader and taken control of the offense.
“He is definitely a leader,” he said. “It’s always a learning process with a young quarterback as you bring them along, but Cutter is very likable. The kids believe in him. They were excited last week, no reflection of Zach, as I mentioned, if anybody gets hurt. We never want to see that, but I think players were excited to watch Cutter and see what he can do, and he’ll have another opportunity here this week.”
As for Calzada, Stoops wasn’t sure of the long-term effects of his injury.
“We’ll see,” Stoops said. “Anytime you’re dealing with an arm with a quarterback, you have to be smart and cautious and make sure he’s healthy.”
Permanent opponents
Kentucky’s three regular opponents on the nine-game league schedule were made public but not yet official on Monday. The Wildcats will play South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee regularly for the next four seasons.
“I really have no comment; I’ve got my hands full if you haven’t noticed,” Stoops said. “I’ve got a lot going on. I’ve heard different things, different reactions, but I think those are opponents we have played for a long time. People are very familiar with them.
“I think you heard me say it over and over again, put the ball down, and let’s play. Those decisions are made way above my paygrade, so it is what it is.”
Gametracker: Kentucky at South Carolina, 7:45 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: SECN, UK Radio Network.