Kentucky football opened the 2025 season with a 24-16 victory over Toledo on Saturday. Below are postgame notes from the win.
The Wildcats have won their season-opener in eight of the last nine seasons. UK is 92-37-5 in all-time season openers, including 9-3 under Mark Stoops.
Kentucky put up 220 yards of offense on the Rockets, which is the most yards in a season opener since 2018.
Check out the postgame notes from the game:
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
TOLEDO at KENTUCKY
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
AUG. 30, 2025
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 24, RV/NR Toledo 16
Team Records and Series Information
– It was the season opener for both teams, as Kentucky football began its 135th season.
– The Wildcats are now 92-37-5 in all-time season openers, including 9-3 under Mark Stoops.
– The Wildcats have won the last five season openers, first time since 2007-11.
– The Wildcats have won eight of the last nine openers.
– The Wildcats have won the last six games that they have opened the season at home since 2018, the most since the Cats opened at home and won eight straight from 1987-94.
– The three previous notes do not include the vacated win in the 2021 opener.
– Kentucky leads the all-time series with Toledo, 2-0, with both games played in Lexington.
– In both wins, Toledo was the Mid-American Conference preseason favorite.
Next Game
Kentucky continues its three-game homestand Saturday, Sept. 6 by playing host to Ole Miss, which will mark the opening game of the Southeastern Conference league schedule. The game time is 3:30 p.m. ET and it will be televised on ABC.
Team Notes
General Team Notes:
The Wildcats have won 20 of their last 21 nonconference games in the regular season.
Kentucky has won 23 of its last 26 nonconference games.
UK had only three penalties in this game, fewest in a season opener since 2018.
Offensive Team Notes:
Kentucky’s 220 yards rushing are its most in a season opener since 2018 (299 vs. Central Michigan).
Kentucky had two players rush for at least 75 yards in the season opener for the first time since 2018 vs. Central Michigan (Benny Snell and A.J. Rose).
This was the first time UK had three different players with a rushing TD in the season opener since 2014.
The UK offensive line allowed no sacks and the Wildcats had only 11 yards of losses from the line of scrimmage.
UK converted 8 of 15 (53.3 percent) on third downs.
The Wildcats went 2-of-2 in the red zone.
Defensive Team Notes:
Kentucky has held the opponent to 16 points or less in five consecutive season openers, first time since 2007-11.
The Wildcats held the Rockets to 59 net rushing yards.
Kentucky has held 13 of its last 27 opponents – 48.1 percent – to less than 100 yards rushing, dating back to the final game of 2022.
Kentucky has held its opponents to under 100 yards rushing in each of its last three straight season openers.
Kentucky improved its streak to 10 straight games forcing a turnover with JQ Hardaway’s interception in the first quarter.
Kentucky held Toledo to 1-of-4 on fourth-down conversions.
Coach Mark Stoops
Mark Stoops began his 13th season as Kentucky’s head coach, extending his school record for the most seasons as the UK head coach.
Stoops has the sixth-longest term of any active head coach in the FBS.
Stoops extended his school records for most total victories (68) and home wins (48).
Player Notes
Making his first start at Kentucky, QB Zach Calzada completed 10-of-23 pass attempts for 85 yards.
He also rushed 10 times for 14 yards and a one-yard touchdown rushing.
He is the first UK QB with a rushing TD in the season opener since Stephen Johnson at Southern Mississippi in 2017.
RB Dante Dowdell had a team-high 14 carries for a career-best 129 yards and a a career-long, 79-yard touchdown.
It is the most rushing yards for a UK player in the season opener since Stanley “Boom” Williams jetted for 135 yards vs. Louisiana Lafayette in 2015.
It marked the first 100+ yard rushing game of Dowdell’s college career.
The 79-yard dash was UK’s longest run since Chris Rodriguez had a 79-yard TD run vs. South Carolina in 2020.
The 79-yarder is UK’s second-longest in a season opener in school history. Mark Higgs had a 85-yard touchdown vs. Utah State in 1987.
RB Seth McGowan had a team-lead and career-best 18 carries for 78 yards and a six-yard touchdown rushing.
TE Josh Kattus had a team-lead and career-best three receptions for a team-lead 43 yards.
LB Alex Afari Jr. had a team-lead and career-best 13 tackles, including two tackles for loss (-3 yards).
This is his eighth straight game with a TFL. The last Wildcat with eight straight games with a TFL was Josh Paschal in 2021.
His 13 tackles are the most for a Wildcat in a season opener since Jordan Jones had 19 stops vs. Southern Mississippi in 2016.
In the second quarter, on fourth-and-two from the UK four-yard line, he combined with JQ Hardaway for a one-yard stop that turned over the ball on downs.
DB JQ Hardaway had an interception that turned into a touchdown drive, adding two tackles
It marked the third interception of his college career.
In the second quarter, on fourth-and-two from the UK four-yard line, he combined with Alex Afari Jr. for a one-yard stop that turned over the ball on downs.
LB Steven Soles Jr. had a career-best two quarterback sacks (-20 yards), causing a fumble on both plays. He had three total tackles.
He is the first player to have two sacks in a game since Octavious Oxendine had two at Ole Miss on Sept. 28, 2024.
In the second quarter, on a fourth-and-inches play on the UK 48-yard line, DL
Tayvion Gadson made the first tackle for loss of his career, a two-yard setback that forced a turnover on downs.
K Jacob Kauwe earned the first points of his college career, going 3-of-3 on extra points and 1-of-1 on field goals (45 yards).
P Aidan Laros averaged 43.8 yards punting on five punts and 66.0 yards on kickoffs on six kicks.
Laros was a difference-maker on field position.
Four of his five punts were inside the 20-yard line, including three inside the 10. Toledo’s average field position on those punts was its own eight-yard line.
It could have been even better, as Laros’ fifth punt landed on the three-yard-line before skipping into the end zone for a touchback.
Even including the touchback, Toledo’s field position after Laros’ five punts was inside its own 12-yard-line.
Following the safety in the second quarter, kickoff off from his own 20, Laros boomed the kickoff 71 yards to the UT nine-yard-line and the return only went out to the 23.
He added a tackle, just his third in his college career, on a punt return in the fourth quarter.
First Starts
First collegiate starts at any school: DL Kahlil Saunders, DB Quay’sheed Scott
Transfers who had started at other schools but making their first start at UK: OG Josh Braun, QB Zach Calzada, RB Seth McGowan, OT Shiyazh Pete, OT Alex Wollschlaeger, DL David Gusta, LB Sam Greene, DL Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace
Game Captains
DB JQ Hardaway, TE Josh Kattus, DB Ty Bryant, C Jager Burton
