Mark Stoops likes how Zach Calzada has responded in practice this week

No one needs a bounce-back game more than Zach Calzada. Even though this is Calzada’s seventh season of college football, his Kentucky debut was shaky, just 10-23 for 85 yards, an interception, and a rushing touchdown. After a few days of practice, Mark Stoops was happy to report that Calzada has turned the page, ready to do what it takes to lead Kentucky to a win over No. 20 Ole Miss.

“I’ve seen him respond very well,” Stoops said on today’s SEC Teleconference. “As I mentioned in my Monday presser, I have a lot of confidence in Zach and in the passing game, and just playing at a higher level. He’s come out this week and really worked hard.”

As he did on Saturday and Monday, Stoops chalked a lot of Calzada’s issues in the 24-16 win over Toledo up to nerves. Calzada started the game well, but couldn’t recover from Kentucky’s three-drive sequence of interception, safety, and fumble in the first and second quarters.

“He just needs to calm down, settle in, and just play ball. I think he really wanted to play well and probably pushed a little bit. He’s got to trust the guys around him that we’re going to make plays and play at a higher level. So I’m excited for him to continue to have a great week of preparation here and go out there and play a little better here this Saturday.”

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Also not helping matters vs. Toledo: a lack of explosive plays. Calzada threw eight passes of more than 20 yards vs. Toledo; all were incomplete (although two drew pass interference penalties). One — a 32-yard bomb to JJ Hester in the first quarter — looked like a completion but was ruled out after a review. Willie Rodriguez caught a 23-yard pass in the second quarter but fumbled it. Without those deep shots, the passing game couldn’t get off the ground.

“Obviously, I think I’d like to see the passing game greatly improve; that’s for sure,” Stoops said today. “We took some shots aggressively down the field, I want to say five deep shots, and didn’t connect on any of them. We did get two pass interference [calls] with that, and had some contested catches that I’d like to see come down with. But we’ve just also got to make the routine plays. So we’ve got some work to do. I’m confident that that will get it done and improve.”

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan told reporters last night that he wants Calzada to be more decisive on those long throws.

“Initially, there was indecision from our standpoint at the quarterback position, sometimes making it more complicated than it needs to be, checking left, checking right post-snap,” Hamdan said. “We’ve really addressed that from a standpoint of, post-snap pick the guy we’re going with, hold the safety, and give (the receiver) a chance, give him an opportunity.”

I doubt Calzada needs any more motivation to play well Saturday, but as Drew Franklin pointed out, this could be a revenge game for him. In 2021, Calzada was on the losing end of a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback, throwing two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter. With calls for Cutter Boley getting louder, now’s the time for Calzada to show that he’s got what it takes.