Stoops: Kentucky's Week 1 opponent has Cats' full attention

One of the pitfalls in many college football season openers, including a couple during the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky, is a major conference team overlooking an upset-minded foe from a smaller conference.

The Wildcats insist that won’t happen on Saturday.

Kentucky opens the new season against a Toledo squad with a reputation of giving P4 teams fits, and the Rockets have even picked up a few preseason AP Top 25 votes with some buzz as a potential College Football Playoff party crasher.

The Cats opened as nearly two-touchdown favorites but have seen that number shrink to 7.5 as kickoff draws closer.

“I’m very excited to get going,” Stoops said Monday during his weekly press luncheon. “I’m glad we have a very good opponent coming in here in Toledo.

“… They are definitely a worthy opponent, last year with two Power Four victories, beating a tough Mississippi State team. I know how hard it is to go into that environment and win, and (Toledo) obviously played well there last year. And they beat Pitt in the bowl game. You can tell how resilient they are, a six-overtime win against Pitt. Quite impressive.”

Stoops has his own reference point for how pesky Toledo can be.

The Rockets were UK’s season opener in 2019, jumping out to a 7-0 lead at Kroger Field and playing to a 14-14 score at halftime. The Cats pulled away in the second half, winning 38-24.

“Very difficult, a tough game, and we expect that again,” Stoops said.

“They’re a team that you have to beat,” the UK boss continued. “They’re not going to beat themselves. They’re very sound and they’re very well-coached.”

Toledo went 8-5 last season and finished 4-4 in MAC play. Along the way, the Rockets beat Mississippi State 41-17 in Starkville and defeated Pittsburgh 48-46 in six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

They did, however, also lose 24-7 to eventual MAC champion Ohio, a team that a struggling Kentucky squad defeated 41-6.

Toledo is led by senior quarterback Tucker Gleason, who has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns in his career. The Rockets also feature former UK and Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum.

“Chip, just who he is, a tough, physical back,” Stoops said. “Unfortunately, he wasn’t very healthy here, but we know what he’s capable of when fully healthy, and I would expect him to be ready to go Game 1. A very physical, very good back.”

Stoops sees the quality opener as an opportunity to show UK fans and national media alike that the Cats have turned the page on a disappointing 4-8 campaign in 2024.

“I’m glad we have to go play some good football,” he said. “If we want to change the narrative, then we have to go play well, and our performance will dictate what’s said about us.”

******