'He is very resilient': Kentucky believes in Cutter Boley

Redshirt freshman Cutter Boley made his third career start against South Carolina last weekend. Similar to his first power conference start against Louisville last season, things got off track in a hurry during the first half. Four second quarter turnovers turned a 10-7 lead into a 28-10 deficit.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said on Monday that this team “can’t overcome turnovers” in the SEC. So the big swing game versus South Carolina unofficially ended in the second quarter following two defensive touchdowns for the home team. It was a rocky performance (10-of-19 for 129 yards, 2 interception, 2 fumbles, 6 sacks) for the young quarterback and the rest of the offense. Boley now has five turnovers in his first two power conference starts. Despite the troubling ball security, Kentucky still believes in and is committed to their young starting quarterback.

“He is very resilient. He has a strong belief in himself. The players believe in him. He has the talent,” Stoops said about Cutter Boley. “So he’ll continue to work and get better. I don’t anticipate he’s the type of player that’ll get affected by that.”

“He’s just getting started. He’s very young in this process.”

Kentucky still believes in Cutter Boley’s potential. The Cats are hopeful that the first two career starts against power conference competition will serve as a learning experience for the former four-star recruit. Stoops pointed out that the offensive coaching staff will have to take a closer look and make sure Boley knows where to go with the football when pressure comes. Kentucky is still committed to working and developing the young quarterback but the ball security must be cleaned up soon. However, the belief in the Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy product has not gone away. Stoops believes Boley has the mindset and mentality to bounce-back quickly from a tough performance. UK now wants to see him grow as he begins to bank for game reps.

“With every opportunity you have to learn from that. Whether it’s success or failure or anywhere in between, you just have to get better. Use that experience,” Stoops said.

Kentucky has a lot of offensive issues at the moment. The hope is that a fast-rising young quarterback can help solve some of those problems.