Kentucky’s stingy defense, efficient rushing attack prevents Week 1 upset

Kentucky entered the 2025 season with a lot of unknowns. However, this program has a reputation under Mark Stoops. The Wildcats mostly played to that reputation in a 24-16 win over Toledo in front of 56,457 fans at Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Cats want to lean on a running game and defense to win games. That’s exactly what happened in Week 1.

Despite losing the turnover battle, gifting Toledo two points on a safety, and completing just 10-of-23 passes, the Cats held the lead for almost the entire game and kept the Rockets at arm’s length for most of the afternoon.

There is much to clean up but Week 1 gave us a glimpse at what the blueprint will be for this football team in 2025.

Kentucky churns out 221 rushing yards

The Wildcats went through a roster makeover in the offseason. Most notably, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan needed to find a bunch of new starters. UK directed its team-building efforts in construction from the inside-out. There was a need for an influx of talent and experience at wide receiver that this program addressed, but the biggest need was at the point of attack.

Kentucky needed improved play at the line of scrimmage. Kentucky needed improved depth and more dependability at tailback. The program addressed those needs by adding four offensive line transfers and two tailback transfers. That rebuild was put on full display on Saturday.

Hamdan’s offense rolled up 221 non-sack rushing yards on 5.26 yards per rush against what is expected to be a top-70 Toledo defense. Dante Dowdell (14 carries, 129 yards) and Seth McGowan (18 carries, 78 yards) led the way while Zach Calzada chipped in some important short-yardage runs to help extend drives.

Dowdell and McGowan combined to record a 62.5 percent success rate on 32 total attempts with two explosive rushes. Kentucky will need some more pop moving forward but both backs helped keep the offense ahead of schedule. The biggest run came in the fourth quarter to give the home favorite full control with just under 10 minutes left in the game.

That success does not occur without some help from the front. There was some leakage in pass protection, but Kentucky’s new offensive line had a nice debut. UK was able to lean on a small Toledo front and the run game is ultimately what allowed the offense to find some success. New starting right tackle Alex Wollschaleger might have had the block of the game on Dowdell’s huge touchdown run.

Kentucky invested resources to fix the running game this offseason. The Cats look improved even thought it took awhile to find some big plays in the run department.

Kentucky’s defense has strong performance until last drive

On Toledo’s final offensive drive of the game, the Rockets marched 95 yards in seven plays. After struggling to find big plays all afternoon, sixth-year quarterback Tucker Gleason connected on three completions of 20-plus yards to pull the road underdog within one-possession.

Unfortunately for this popular underdog, that was really the only time Toledo looked comfortable all afternoon. Kentucky’s defense handled the Rockets with relative ease for most of the afternoon.

Kentucky created a stop in four snaps or less on seven drives on Saturday. The Cats forced two more turnover on downs with one coming inside the five. Another possession ended in a JQ Hardaway interception that set up the offense’s first touchdown of the season. Toledo did not score until its 11th drive of the game. The Rockets produced just 80 non-sack rushing yards on 3.1 yards per rush.

Gleason ended the game with 270 passing yards but needed 40 attempts, took two sacks, and had to scramble out of some other trouble to get there. The two-minute defense at the end may linger for a lot of people, but Kentucky’s defense looked like a top-25 unit for most of the game. This dominant play occurred when the game was still in doubt into the third quarter as this unit kept the team afloat during a grinder.

Alex Afari Jr. led UK with 13 tackles and two tackles for loss. Steven Soles Jr. recorded some big pass rushing wins and finished the game with two sack fumbles. Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Tavion Gadson produced a tackle for loss on a fourth-and-short stop. This was a team effort. Kentucky even played most of the game without starting defensive end Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace. The South Dakota transfer was expected to make a big impact this season.

There was a letdown in the fourth quarter, but Brad White’s defense was the reason this game did not get really scary while the offense sputtered for multiple quarters.

Kentucky’s passing game needs work

We know what the blueprint is for Mark Stoops and this football program. The passing game in Lexington has really never been a strength, and it’s not really expected to be a strength this season. Even going into Week 1, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan seemed unsure about UK’s throw game.

After just one game, it’s clear that the Cats need a lot of work in the passing department.

Zach Calzada did not take a sack, but the seventh-year senior only completed just 10-of-23 passes for 85 yards, and did not look comfortable throughout the game. Kentucky made a concerted effort to take some swings with deep shots in the vertical passing game. The best thing that happened was Oklahoma transfer J.J. Hester nearly making a toe-tap grab down the sideline for 32 yards on the first drive and Alabama transfer Kendrick Law drawing a pass interference penalty in the endzone on a third-and-long that extended a scoring drive for the Cats.

There was not much good outside of that.

Tight ends Josh Kattus and Willie Rodriguez combined to record five receptions on seven targets for 74 yards, but a lost fumble by Rodriguez on one of UK’s biggest plays of the game ended a scoring threat. Kentucky wide receivers produced just four receptions on 14 targets. There was also an interception, fumble lost, and a safety that occurred when the offense dropped back to pass.

Kentucky will win games with a running game and defense this season but this offense needs a passing game to help it find balance, keep drives alive, and provide some explosive plays. The throw game really let the team down in the first game of the season.

It must show improvement fast or scoring points could become very difficult this season.

Kentucky survives but improvement is needed rapidly

The No. 1 goal for every week is to win the football game. Kentucky accomplished that goal in Week 1 but it was a grind. The Cats looked like a team playing their first real game as they struggled to find rhythm on offense and did not close the game on defense on an outstanding day.

Improvement will be required.

Kentucky’s first SEC game will occur next week when No. 11 Ole Miss rolls into Lexington for the first time since 2020. The Cats have a lot to fix before facing the Rebels. The first true test for this team will occur in Week 2.

The old saying in football is that every team improves the most between Week 1 and Week 2. Kentucky — specifically on offense — needs that to hold true. UK truly looked like a team with 50 new players on Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field. That needs to change. Quickly.

A big test awaits.