Zach Calzada injury update: Mark Stoops reveals Kentucky QB's status

Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada left the Wildcats’ 30-23 loss to Ole Miss in the fourth quarter after appearing to suffer a shoulder injury. On Monday, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops provided an update on Calzada’s status.

“Mark Stoops is ‘unsure’ of Zach Calzada’s status,” KSR’s Nick Roush wrote on X. “The QB will not practice today.”

In the loss, Calzada completed 15-of-his-30 pass attempts for 149 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception. He recorded four carries for nine rushing yards.

It was another slow game for the Incarnate Word transfer, who completed just 10 passes for 85 total yards in Kentucky’s season-opener against Toledo. Calzada is yet to throw a touchdown pass this season, though he did rush for a score against Toledo.

Redshirt freshman QB Cutter Boley replaced Calzada after he left the game due to injury. Boley completed 1-of-his-3 pass attempts for 38 yards. He also recorded four carries for 14 yards.

Calzada entered this offseason as the clear favorite to be UK’s starter behind center. However, Boley reportedly made it a competition in the quarterback room this summer after impressing Kentucky’s staff. Stoops is excited to see Boley have a chance to shine on Saturday.

“I’m excited to see Cutter, and you know I say that about every position,” Stoops said. “When somebody gets hurt, I never want to see a player get hurt, but when that happens about every time I’ve been up here, I say, ‘I can’t wait to see so and so play.’ Right?

“So don’t overblow that for a quarterback, like everybody does. I’m always excited for the next man up, and I’m excited to see Cutter, and Cutter will absolutely play.”

Despite the preseason hype around Boley, he struggled at times against Ole Miss on Saturday. In particular, Boley held on to the ball too long down the stretch, accepting sacks instead of finding safety valves out wide.

Kentucky is averaging 136.0 passing yards per game, ranking No. 120 in the country. No matter who’s behind center, the team understands something needs to change.

“The plays were there, and again, not easy, and not wide open, or things of that nature. But when you drop back and pass, and you’ve gotta throw the ball,” Stoops said after the loss. “Some of it was there… there were some opportunities there that we got to be more efficient.”

On Saturday, Kentucky will look to make those improvement as it squares off against Eastern Michigan at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPNU.