KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky in a Get-Right Spot Against Eastern Michigan

The 2025 Kentucky football team has shown glimpses of greatness in the run game and on defense through two games, but there’s still much to be desired. Can they put the pieces together before a bye week leads into an SEC gauntlet? We’ll find out when Eastern Michigan travels to Kroger Field for a 7:30 PM ET kickoff on ESPNU.

The Kentucky passing game struggled mightily through the first two games of the season. They’ve completed just 46.4% of their passes (ranked No. 134 out of 136 FBS teams) and are one of 14 FBS teams that have not thrown a touchdown pass.

It’s time to turn over a new leaf. Cutter Boley is expected to start against Eastern Michigan. The Kentucky native flashed as a true freshman, but struggled mightily in his first start against Louisville. Mark Stoops recruited Zach Calzada from the transfer portal to buy Boley some developmental time, but after a shoulder injury and two terrible weeks, it’s time to see what Boley can do.

Each year, one or two players dominate the conversation during fall camp. This year, it was Boley. The freshman we saw in the Governor’s Cup is not the same No. 8 you’ll see on Saturday. He’s composed, comfortable, and confident in the pocket. That should pay dividends when he goes up against a porous Eastern Michigan defense, the ideal foe in this get-right spot.

Eastern Michigan has not had a lead in 18 quarters of football. Chris Creighton created stability at The Factory in Ypsilanti, but that has been derailed by the transfer portal. The Eagles have the second-worst rush defense in college football, giving up 623 yards and 7.42 yards per carry through two losses, one of which was to an FCS foe.

Kentucky fans have not experienced too many feel-good moments at Kroger Field as of late. Cutter Boley could provide a few on Saturday night.

Ready to be under the Kroger Field lights. pic.twitter.com/uSApeyPN5T

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 11, 2025

How To Watch/Listen to Kentucky vs Eastern Michigan

• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
• TV: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, Chase Daniel)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 81 (UK)

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan Gambling Angles and Trends

We have some late line movement in favor of the Cats. Kentucky spent most of the week as a 24.5-point favorite. On BetMGM, the line has moved to UK -26.5. The total is 48.5

Since 2015, EMU is 30-11 ATS as a road underdog. That includes outright wins over Arizona State as a 20-point dog in 2022, Illinois as a nine-point dog in 2019, Purdue as a 16-point dog in 2018, and Rutgers as a five-point dog in 2017. The Eagles are 3-1 ATS since COVID-19 against power conference competition. UK is 17-6-2 ATS in its last 25 non-conference games. The Cats have won 11 consecutive games against Group of Six competition with a 9-2 ATS mark sine 2019.

[Read the KSR Plus Scouting Report on Eastern Michigan]

Saturday Gameday Schedule

11:00 am — Doors Open at KSBar and Grille
3:30 pm — The KSR Pregame Show
4:30 pm — LexTran Shuttles Begin Moving
5:15 pm — Cat Walk
6:00 pm — Kroger Field Gates Open
7:30 pm — Kickoff on ESPNU

Kentucky Hall of Fame Weekend

The UK Athletics Hall of Fame added six new members during a ceremony Friday night in Lexington. It’s a star-studded group with plenty of household names from the recent past.

Abbey Cheek-Ramsey, Softball, 2016-19
Makayla Epps, Women’s Basketball, 2014-17
Doug Flynn, Baseball, 1970; Men’s Basketball, 1970; Broadcaster 2004-present
Sonia Hahn, Women’s Tennis, 1986-89
Josh Hines-Allen, Football, 2015-18
Karl-Anthony Towns, Men’s Basketball, 2015

John Calipari Returned to Lexington

Hall of Fame Weekend is a big deal. It’s such a big deal that Karl’s former coach decided to return to Lexington. He did not appear at the ceremony on Friday night, but did get a chance to celebrate the occasion with Towns while wearing Arkansas red.

So happy for Karl and his family on his Hall of Fame induction! Ellen and Brad got to attend the induction and I just made it up with Kenny to celebrate with them after! Proud of you Karl and so glad we could be here to support and celebrate with you!

Karl’s family, Kenny,… pic.twitter.com/mqilCg4WqS

— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) September 13, 2025

Meet Malachi Moreno Before Kickoff

On the weekend the Wildcats honor former stars, you get a chance to meet a future one. Malachi Moreno, a 7-foot center from Georgetown, will be hanging out with fans between 4-6 PM near Gate 1. and Nutter Fieldhouse at the Paul Miller Ford tailgate. It’s your chance to meet one of the newest members of Mark Pope’s squad and snap a photo with the talented young Wildcat.

Fit Check

This year, Kentucky is rotating captains for each game. OG Josh Braun, RB Seth McGowan, DL Kahlil Saunders, and S Jordan Lovett will represent the Wildcats during the coin toss. They’ll be rocking white helmets, with blue jerseys, and blue pants. Eastern Michigan is wearing their factory grey helmets and pants with white jerseys and silver numbers, which won’t make them easy to see from the nosebleeds at Kroger Field.

A Volleyball Doubleheader at Memorial Coliseum

The Kentucky volleyball team has been a part of a few neutral-site events early in the season. This weekend they’re hosting a talented multi-team event.

Historic Memorial Coliseum is hosting a match between Houston and Purdue at Noon. The Wildcats will take on No. 10 SMU once that game concludes around 3 PM. It’s the sixth game of the season and Craig Skinner’s squad has already played four Top 10 opponents. That’s nuts.

Admission is free, so if you don’t have plans, get on over to Historic Memorial Coliseum to watch the Cats in action. If you can’t make it today, Kentucky will be back in action on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM against Houston.

College Football on TV

Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama	Noon	ABC
No. 12 Clemson at Georgia Tech	Noon	ESPN
No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple	Noon	ESPN2
Memphis at Troy	Noon	ESPNU
Central Michigan at Michigan	Noon	Big Ten Network
William & Mary at Virginia	Noon	ACC Network
Houston Christian at Nebraska	Noon	FS1
No. 4 Oregon at Northwestern	Noon	FOX
South Alabama at No. 24 Auburn	12:45pm	SEC Network
No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee	3:30pm	ABC
Oregon State at No. 21 Texas Tech	3:30pm	FOX
Pittsburgh at West Virginia	3:30pm	ESPN
USC at Purdue	3:30pm	CBS
Villanova at No. 2 Penn State	3:30pm	FS1
Richmond at North Carolina	3:30pm	ACC Network
No. 14 Iowa State at Arkansas State	4:00pm	ESPN2
UTEP at No. 7 Texas	4:15pm	SEC Network
No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami	4:30pm	The CW
Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss	7:00pm	ESPN
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech	7:00pm	ACC Network
Western Michigan at No. 9 Illinois	7:00pm	FS1
Ohio at No. 1 Ohio State	7:00pm	Peacock
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame	7:30pm	NBC
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky	7:30pm	ESPNU
Florida at No. 3 LSU	7:30pm	ABC
Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina	7:45pm	SEC Network
Duke at Tulane	8:00pm	ESPN2
Air Force at Utah State	9:45pm	FS1
Texas State at Arizona State	10:30pm	TNT
Boston College at Stanford	10:30pm	ACC Network
Minnesota at California	10:30pm	ESPN