The long offseason is finally over. College football is back and Kentucky football resumes on Saturday at 12:45 E.T. with a season opener against the Toledo Rockets. While Kentucky is the solid favorite, Toledo has emerged as a trendy upset watch upstart. In this Take Two feature, Cats Illustrated writers Jeff Drummond and Justin Rowland […]
The long offseason is finally over. College football is back and Kentucky football resumes on Saturday at 12:45 E.T. with a season opener against the Toledo Rockets.
While Kentucky is the solid favorite, Toledo has emerged as a trendy upset watch upstart.
In this Take Two feature, Cats Illustrated writers Jeff Drummond and Justin Rowland answer the usual pregame questions and share their predictions.
What are the main reasons for optimism if you’re a Kentucky fan?
Jeff Drummond: I like everything I’ve seen and heard about the Cats’ preparation for the new season. “Businesslike” has come up a lot, and we got to see that mindset first-hand during the two practices the media got to watch during camp. I really get the sense that they found the right kind of people in the transfer portal, and a few of them are significant talent upgrades. The O-Line might be moving back toward its “Big Blue Wall” days, and the D-Line appears to be two-deep with talent. Kentucky is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season, and having a strong foundation in the trenches is a nice place to start.
Justin Rowland: There are good reasons for optimism, as you would expect when you’re a 10.5-point favorite as the Wildcats are. SEC teams have a great record in games against the MAC. Mark Stoops has a great record against teams outside the power conferences. Kentucky has a good track record of handling its business in Week 1 since that first season. I think you have to have some confidence that Brad White and the defensive staff had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for and doing in putting the roster together, and the defense seems solid enough on paper that you feel like it may be the best unit in the game. It’s in Lexington, the Wildcats are eager to erase the bad narrative from last season, and the roster is pretty much totally overhauled, so what does last year even mean?
Furthermore, Toledo’s offensive line still has some questions, they’re replacing an electric receiver, and the front seven is totally turned over. Because the front seven is totally new that could play into Kentucky’s desire to reestablish the run game this season.
What are the main reasons for concern?
Drummond: Toledo is picked to win the MAC and may be a darkhorse for the playoffs, so this is not your average “cupcake” opener for the Cats. The Rockets will come to Lexington not hoping to win but expecting to win. They have an experienced quarterback in senior Tucker Gleason, a veteran offensive line, and talented running backs in transfers Chip Trayanum (UK/Ohio State) and Kenji Christian (Virginia Tech/NC A&T). Defensively, Toledo has a talented secondary that could pose a problem for the Cats’ largely unproven receiver corps. If they’re able to leverage that into making UK one-dimensional, it could be a big issue.
Rowland: Last year’s 4-8 record doesn’t mean much, except that it led to a situation where Kentucky has 50 new players. What kind of culture will that kind of team have? While UK’s roster looks solid in spots it’s fair to ask who the star performers they’re going to lean on every week will be. Tucker Gleason is a good quarterback, Chip Trayanum has been talked up throughout camp, and Jason Candle knows how to win games like this. If this game comes down to a management battle between Zach Calzada and Tucker Gleason does anyone know how that turns out?
What’s your prediction for the game’s outcome and who will Kentucky’s MVP be?
Drummond: I’m still old school in the belief that most games are won or lost in the trenches. I think Kentucky has a big advantage here on both sides of the ball, and that should be the difference in an otherwise highly competitive game. My MVP, running back Seth McGowan, will take advantage of the new-and-improved O-Line’s strong showing. Kentucky 29, Toledo 16
Rowland: I think this one will be close. Kentucky has more overall talent as an SEC team but Toledo has some continuity, a great culture, they didn’t have nearly as much turnover as UK did, and it’s the kind of game where the Cats could get tense if the Rockets hang around. Because of the work UK did on its offensive line last year I’ll give the Cats the edge at home but it could be nerve racking. UK 31, Toledo 26.
Category: General Sports