KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan

by: KSR4 hours ago

kentucky-emu-predictions — The Wildcat mascot under the lights at Kroger Field - Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

It’s time for Kentucky and its offense to get off the mat. On Saturday, the Cats host the Eastern Michigan Eagles, a winless team that allowed 80 points in its first two weeks. Eastern brings its own problems to Lexington, where the Wildcats also have a lot to prove on their end, particularly offensively.

Cutter Boley will step in to help solve some of the offense’s problems, or at the very least, take a look at them. Kentucky will try the new QB in Week 3 as a heavy betting favorite in the desert, laying 24.5 points to EMU.

Kentucky’s first game under the lights kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The countdown to kickoff continues with a new round of KSR staff predictions.

Drew Franklin

Kentucky bounces back this week, starting a new quarterback in Cutter Boley. Eastern Michigan comes at the perfect time to hit the reset button on the offense. The Eagles are 0-2, having allowed 80 points in two games, losses to Texas State and Long Island. Texas State scored 52 on Eastern in the opener.

On Saturday, the Wildcats will rely on the run against a defense that gave up 392 rushing yards in the opener and another 231 on its own field to Long Island. Kentucky will pound it with Dowdell and McGowan, but will also give Boley his opportunities to sling it. This is a good test for Boley. If he passes, he’ll have more confidence going on the road for a pivotal league game against South Carolina next week.

My prediction is Boley aces his first test of 2025, playing against a winless MAC opponent rather than his run as a freshman at Florida, at Texas, and in the Governor’s Cup. Boley will have the offense looking much better than last week, simply because of the opponent and his eagerness to win the job.

A big day for the offense with six touchdowns in a lopsided win under the lights.

Prediction: Kentucky 45, Eastern Michigan 10

Adam Luckett

Kentucky is back in non-conference play after last week’s SEC opener before the first bye week arrives. The Wildcats needed last week’s win. Another huge conference opportunity is right around the corner. But first they must take care of an Eastern Michigan team with one of the worst defenses in college football.

My guess is the offense does enough to win the game comfortably, but everyone will leave Week 3 with some big worries about Bush Hamdan’s offense.

Cutter Boley connects on a couple of deep shots, the passing game completes over 50 percent of its passes for the first time, and the rushing attack goes for 200-plus yards but there will be a turnover or two and the red zone issues likely remain. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s defense makes EMU one-dimensional but we see some explosive play leakage again.

The Cats win somewhat ugly and enter the idle week at 2-1 with a huge game that could determine the fate of the season against South Carolina looming in Week 5.

Prediction: Kentucky 34, Eastern Michigan 13

Nick Roush

“This game is about us” is a line Mark Stoops likes to use before Kentucky takes on an inferior foe. Don’t be mistaken. This is an inferior foe.

Kentucky’s rushing attack should eat early and often. Eastern Michigan has one of the worst rush defenses in college football, allowing more than 600 rushing yards over two games. Expect to see at least one long rushing touchdown from Seth McGowan. He and Dante Dowdell should each eclipse 100 yards on the ground.

But the focus on this game is not on the running game. How will the passing attack change with a new quarterback in the saddle?

Cutter Boley doesn’t need to look like an NFL Draft pick. The Cats just need a clean, competent passing game. Make the easy throws look easy. Move the chains on third down. Create an explosive pass or two or three. Kentucky will check those boxes, but there’s one that will probably frustrate some fans: finishing drives.

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Over 14 games, Bush Hamdan has struggled when the field shrinks. There will be a drive or two in the first half that ends prematurely, leaving the fans wanting more, until the Wildcats run away with the game in the second half.

Prediction: Kentucky 38, Eastern Michigan 10

Tyler Thompson

As others have said, Kentucky needs to get right, and Eastern Michigan could be the ideal opponent. The Eagles are not good, especially on defense, which could provide the perfect setting for Cutter Boley to find a rhythm. We’ll all be watching Cutter, but the run game will reign supreme, with Dane Dowdell and Seth McGowan having a field day against Eastern Michigan’s porous front.

That said, I want to see some explosive plays from the passing game. Let’s see what Kendrick Law can do, and more of Boley’s connection with Hardley Gilmore IV, which we got a glimpse of with the 38-yard pass to put Kentucky in field-goal range with two minutes to go vs. Ole Miss. I’m not naive enough to think that simply switching quarterbacks will solve all of Kentucky’s issues on offense, but give me enough to feel confident the Cats can keep up in some SEC games.

Both the team and fanbase need an easy, fun game. Tomorrow night should be it. Hopefully, we get a romp instead of an ugly win. With South Carolina looming after the bye week, we need it.

Score: Kentucky 41, Eastern Michigan 13

Zack Geoghegan

Cutter Boley will provide a nice change of pace at quarterback for the Kentucky offense, but the focus should be on the run game. Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan will receive the bulk of the offensive plays, which should open up some easy opportunities for Boley to find a groove through the air. The offense won’t do a complete 180 in just one game, and it feels unlikely they’ll light up the scoreboard, but it will be inspiring enough to bring some good vibes into the bye week. Boley will establish himself as “the guy”.

Defensively, Brad White’s unit will be ready to go. I’m calling for a pair of forced turnovers from the defense. Eastern Michigan will tack on a couple of field goals in the first half before sneaking in a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make the score look closer than it actually was.

Score: Kentucky 31, Eastern Michigan 13

Jack Pilgrim

It’s now the Cutter Boley show and that will undoubtedly add some juice to an otherwise boring and meaningless matchup that won’t teach us much about this team’s ability to get back to bowl eligibility. Eastern Michigan is not good, unfortunately, so the big-picture takeaways will be few and far between until after the bye. The young gunslinger will, however, look good and move the ball in his opportunities with the standout running backs doing most of the heavy lifting. How does the offensive operation look? Will plays get in on time and can the Wildcats establish a rhythm? All eyes are on Bush Hamdan there after two incredibly underwhelming performances to open the season following an incredibly underwhelming debut campaign for the playcaller in 2024.

No matter what happens on that side of the football, we know the defense will step up and look the part. Our options here should be comfortable blowout win or tight, low-scoring win, barring an absolute disaster. But if that’s the case, we may have bigger problems on our hands.

Things are sloppy to start and Eastern Michigan takes an early 7-0 lead, only for Kentucky to pitch a shutout the rest of the way in a three-score victory. Good enough to get the job done, not good enough to feel all warm and funny about the program’s trajectory entering the bye.

Score: Kentucky 28, Eastern Michigan 7