Offense Shines as Kentucky Football wins under the lights, 48-23

LEXINGTON, Ky. — In its first game under the lights, Kentucky's offense stepped into the spotlight and found its shine, as the Wildcats took care of business against Eastern Michigan, 48-23 Saturday night in Kroger Field. UK moves to 2-1 on the season, while EMU falls to 0-3.

Cutter Boley earned his first start of the season and the second of his career, with Zach Calzada sidelined by a shoulder injury. The redshirt freshman finished his night 12-21 for 240 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the air. The Cats added 252 additional yards and four scores on the ground.

Kentucky's tandem attack in the running game continued its strong start to the season, with Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell taking the bulk of the carries. McGowan led the ground game with 18 carries for 104 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the first quarter to give the Cats an early 14-0 lead.

Dowdell left the game in the third quarter with an apparent thigh injury and did not return.

Eastern Michigan initially got on the board with 2:20 to play in the first quarter, as EMU kicker Rudy Kessinger converted his first of three field goals of the night.

With Boley and the offense back on the field in the second quarter, a five-play, 54-yard drive ended with the team's first passing touchdown of the season: a three-yard toss into the arms of sophomore tight end, Willie Rodriguez. The Cats went up 21-3, before another EMU field goal tacked on three points for the Eagles.

Senior tight end Josh Kattus found the end zone next for Kentucky, scoring his first touchdown of the season and the sixth of his Kentucky career. By the end of the night, Rodriguez and Kattus combined for 89 yards and two touchdowns in a spectacular showing for the tight ends.

The Eagles soared back to life in the final minutes of the first half, reaching the end zone for the first time on a 62-yard touchdown pass, followed by Kessinger's third field goal of the night - this time, a 50-yarder.

Eastern Michigan's resurgence put 10 points on the board for the visitors in the final two minutes of the half, as the Cats went to the locker room with a 28-16 lead.

Out of the break, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan first went to Dowdell for a 3-yard gain, before Boley connected with Fred Farrier for a 33-yard pass on the second play of the half. The drive stalled short of the end zone, but redshirt freshman Jacob Kauwe got a 51-yard field goal to go, putting the Cats up 31-16.

Kentucky technically got to the end zone two more times before the end of the quarter, but Boley's 27-yard connection with Kendrick Law was erased due to a holding call on wide receiver, Hardley Gilmore IV. McGowan helped the Cats rebound quickly, with a 6-yard carry followed by an 8-yard touchdown. It marked his third and final score of the night.

Kauwe added another field goal for Kentucky early in the fourth quarter, giving the Cats a 41-16 advantage with 13:16 to play in the game. It marked the first time Kentucky reached the 40-point threshold since Murray State came to town last November. The Cats finished two-points shy of hitting 50 for the first time since 2021.

Redshirt freshman running back Jason Patterson got some run, literally, in the fourth quarter. He finished with 44 yards on the ground and his first collegiate touchdown.

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EMU put seven more points on the board in the game's final minute following 12-play, 75-yard drive.

It was the first play of the night that will make it onto Kentucky's defensive highlight reel. Daveren Rayner started the game off hot with an immediate interception to put Boley in excellent scoring position on his first drive.

Although it was not Brad White's unit's finest night, the Cats held the Eagles to a season-low-tying 23 points, with Jordan Lovett recording a team-high eight tackles.

The Cats have next Saturday off with a bye week, followed by back-to-back road trips to South Carolina and Georgia.

After another bye week, the Cats will return to Kroger Field to host Texas on Oct. 18.

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