The Daily Journal caught up with Kentucky beat writer Jon Hale of the Lexington Herald-Leader to see what he considers the keys to the Ole Miss-Kentucky matchup.
Daily Journal: Kentucky’s win at Ole Miss last year completely altered the trajectory of the Rebels’ season. Things went awry for the Wildcats from there. What happened to UK after that win, and why weren’t they able to capitalize on what seemed like a ton of momentum?
Jon Hale: So much went wrong for Kentucky after the Ole Miss game that there were probably underlying issues that were bound to pop up eventually. There was a badly timed bye week immediately after the game that probably stalled some of the momentum. A lack of depth was exposed down the stretch. The offense was not exactly great even in the Ole Miss game, but Kentucky’s defense had its best performance of the season. Once the defense stopped being able to carry the load, the season collapsed. Kentucky did not score more than 20 points against a Power Four opponent all season.
Journal: Zach Calzada didn’t have a great debut vs. Toledo. What is his ceiling in the offense, and is there any chance we see another quarterback playing Saturday?
Hale: Kentucky fans are asking that same question this week. Calzada is probably not as he looked in the opener, but his ceiling is not very high either. He talked a lot in preseason camp about being a game manager, being willing to take checkdown throws and not forcing shots down the field. His arm strength is a plus, but Kentucky did not connect on any of its deep balls against Toledo. That has to change to keep SEC teams from stacking the box to stop the run.
As for a quarterback change, I doubt we see backup Cutter Boley unless Calzada makes multiple turnovers in the first half. Kentucky coaches keep saying Boley is the quarterback of the future, but Calzada took almost all the first-team reps in camp for a reason. It seems too early for the staff to pull the plug on his run as starter if the gap was that apparent in practice. Another bad performance from Calzada and all bets are off for next week’s game against Eastern Michigan though.
Journal: Kentucky’s defensive front made life really hard for the Rebels last season. Does this year’s group have similar capabilities, even with new faces? On the flip side, how stout is the Wildcats’ offensive line?
Hale: It’s hard to evaluate Kentucky’s defensive line last season because it was never quite as effective as it was against Ole Miss again. This group might be better on paper than last season’s unit performed for most of the year, but it’s probably not as good as that group played in Oxford. The makeup is different. Transfers David Gusta and Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace look like impact additions. They are not as big as the linemen they’re replacing but are more athletic. Kentucky was able to get pressure without bringing extra blitzers against Toledo in a way it rarely did last season.
The offensive line might be the most improved position on the roster. That group just was not good enough last year. This group still has plenty to prove against better competition, but the two returners (Jager Burton and Jalen Farmer) made major gains over the offseason while the three transfer starters (Joshua Braun, Alex Wollschlaeger and Shiyazh Pete) look the part of SEC linemen. If Kentucky exceeds expectations this season, it will be because the offensive line is improved.
Journal: Does running back Dante Dowdell (a MS native) figure to be a driving force of this offense? And how has the offense replaced stars like Barion Brown and Dane Key?
Hale: Kentucky will rotate Dowdell and New Mexico State transfer Seth McGowan at running back. Both will receive plenty of carries. The staff views them as co-starters. Dowdell had the better numbers in the opener thanks to a 79-yard touchdown run in the second half. He’s more of a power back but showed impressive speed on that play.
The jury is still out on replacing Brown and Key. Kentucky signed three transfer wide receivers that played in the opener, but none recorded a catch. I expect to see more from Alabama transfer Kendrick Law this week as the coaches try to get him the ball in space, similar to how they used Brown a year ago, but there is no go-to receiver on the roster like Key was in 2024. The best hope for that is sophomore Hardley Gilmore taking a step forward, but Kentucky will throw to its tight ends a lot in the meantime.
Journal: If Kentucky is going to upset the Rebels for a second straight year, ____ has to happen.
Hale: Kentucky has to follow the same blueprint as last season. The defense has to be close to perfect, and the offense has to be able to control the clock and limit Ole Miss possessions. Kentucky will need some good luck, too. Nothing about the passing attack in Week 1 suggests this team is capable of the fourth down conversion that set-up Kentucky’s game-winning touchdown last year. Even after that big play, Kentucky needed a fortunate bounce to recover a fumble in the end zone. It will need some breaks like that Saturday.
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