LEXINGTON, Ky. — On a day when its offense sputtered and made a handful of self-inflicted mistakes one might associate with a season opener, Kentucky’s defense looked like it was in midseason form on Saturday against Toledo. The Wildcats held the preseason favorites to win the MAC without any offensive points until the final 10 […]
LEXINGTON, Ky. — On a day when its offense sputtered and made a handful of self-inflicted mistakes one might associate with a season opener, Kentucky’s defense looked like it was in midseason form on Saturday against Toledo.
The Wildcats held the preseason favorites to win the MAC without any offensive points until the final 10 minutes of play en route to a 24-16 win at Kroger Field.
Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC) surrendered just 59 yards rushing, recorded three sacks, picked off a pass, and stopped three of the Rockets’ four fourth-down attempts.
Senior linebacker Alex Afari spearheaded the strong defensive effort with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack, while sophomore linebacker Steven Soles Jr. had two strip-sacks for fumbles among his three tackles, and senior cornerback JQ Hardaway intercepted a pass.
“I think going into the game, you know what their quarterback and what he’s capable of,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said of Toledo senior Tucker Gleason. “I was quite pleased the way we were containing him for the majority of that game.
“All you have to do is go to their bowl game last year (a 48-46 six-overtime win over Pittsburgh) and watch that. And you want to get aggravated, be the defensive coordinator on that. Because that’s what he’s capable of… I’m proud of the way our guys played.”
Kentucky took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zach Calzada.
A Toledo safety in the second quarter cut the lead to 7-2, but Jacob Kauwe kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Cats a 10-2 lead at halftime.
Seth McGowan‘s 6-yard touchdown run at the 12:30 mark of the fourth quarter extended UK’s lead to 17-2.
Toledo seemed to get right back in the game on a 9-yard scramble by Gleason with 9:38 to play, but the Cats responded on their next play from scrimmage as junior running back Dante Dowdell took a handoff 79 yards to the end zone to make it 24-9.
“It was nice. It was the longest run I’ve had in my career, 79. It felt good,” Dowdell said. “You know, we said before the game, we’re going to keep running the ball, running the ball.”
Dowdell, who transferred from Nebraska this spring, finished with 129 yards on 14 carries in his UK debut. McGowan, another portal newcomer from New Mexico, added 78 yards on 18 carries.
The Rockets pulled back within one score with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Gleason to Junior Vandeross with 1:55 remaining, but could not recover the onside kick. UK converted a first down to run the clock out on its first win of the season.
Offensively, Kentucky was inconsistent in the opener. The Cats ran the ball well (220 yards on 43 carries) but could never find a rhythm due to its passing game. Calzada completed just 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards.
“I did expect the passing game to be better today,” Stoops said. “I felt like we were off on some shots down the field. You know, I think we connect on one or two of those that were close. I think you feel a little different; we all feel a little different. So, I think working on that and trying to push the ball down the field. You know, it was off today. We need to improve, and I’m sure we will.”
“You know, there were some ups and downs, but I feel good about these guys, and we are going to get better,” Calzada said.
*****
In our Rapid Recap section, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
GAME BALL:
Alex Afari, Kentucky — The Cats’ senior linebacker had perhaps the best performance of his career in Lexington, recording a game-high 13 tackles, nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, and one sack. Sideline to sideline, he was all over the field to spearhead a strong performance by the UK defense.
BY THE NUMBERS:
0 – Sacks allowed by the Kentucky offensive line.
2.0 – Yards per carry allowed by the UK defense. The Rockets managed just 59 yards on 29 carries.
3 – Penalties called against the Cats, their fewest in a season opener since 2018.
4 – Receptions by UK’s entire receiver corps: two for Hardley Gilmore IV, one for Ja’Mori Maclin, and one for Fred Farrier. They amounted to just 12 yards.
5 – Five consecutive season openers for UK holding the opponent to 16 points or less.
79 – Yard touchdown run by Dante Dowdell was the longest by a UK player in a season opener since Mark Higgs had an 85-yard TD vs. Utah State in 1987.
2014 – The last time UK had three different players with a rushing touchdown in the season opener. Zach Calzada, Seth McGowan, and Dante Dowdell each scored one on Saturday.
56,457 – Attendance at Kroger Field.
QUOTABLE:
“Hats off to Kentucky, Coach Stoops. Tough football game today, hard-fought game.” — Toledo head coach Jason Candle, who defeated two Power Four opponents last season in Mississippi State and Pittsburgh.
UP NEXT:
The Cats return to action next week at Kroger Field against Ole Miss in the SEC opener. The No. 21 Rebels (0-0) are playing Georgia State later Saturday night. Kickoff for UK and Ole Miss is slated for 3:30 ET on ABC.
Category: General Sports
