Rapid Reaction: Kentucky uses strong defensive effort to outlast Toledo
By Ethan Stone
Published:
There was a lot of a good and a lot of bad for Kentucky in its first game of the 2025 season. Here’s what we know for certain: The Wildcats are 1-0 heading into Week 2 against No. 21 Ole Miss.
Defensively, Kentucky was excellent on Saturday. The Wildcats defense did not allow a single point for the first 3 quarters – Toledo only found 2 points across the first 3 quarters thanks to a safety.
It was a rough one to start. Zach Calzada found the end zone with a 1-yard run late in the first half, but the Wildcats couldn’t get anything going otherwise. Across 3 consecutive drives the Wildcats threw an interception, took a safety and fumbled away possession. And still, the Rockets were unable to find the end zone thanks to – in particular – a fantastic outing from Kentucky’s Front 7. Toledo rushed for just 59 yards all afternoon at an average of 2 yards per carry.
Dante Dowdell was the MVP of the day for Kentucky, especially in the 2nd half. The junior Nebraska transfer rushed for 129 yards at an average of 9.2 yards per carry, including the following 79-yard touchdown scamper to put the Rockets to bed – the longest run of Dowdell’s career.
As mentioned earlier, Kentucky will now get ready for a big-time battle against No. 21 Ole Miss. The Wildcats will simply have to get more from QB Zach Calzada to be able to keep up with Lane Kiffin’s new offensive attack.
Kentucky 24, Toledo 16
Here’s the Kentucky-Toledo box score (you can use the dropdown menu below to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Zach Calzada vs Tucker Gleason
Here’s a statistical breakdown of how Kentucky’s Zach Calzada fared against Toledo counterpart Tucker Gleason:
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
