The Final Prep: Previewing Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan

by: Drew Franklin13 hours agoDrewFranklinKSR

kentucky-vs-eastern-michigan2 — (Photo via Dr. Michael Huang for KSR

Saturday night lights return to Kroger Field for the first time this season as Kentucky Football hosts Eastern Michigan in a Week 3 non-conference matchup. The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing loss to Ole Miss, where offensive struggles continued and Zach Calzada was replaced late by Cutter Boley. With questions still lingering on that side of the ball, this primetime opportunity against a winless EMU squad gives Mark Stoops’ team a chance to reset, build confidence, and prepare for next week’s SEC road test at No. 15 South Carolina.

Let’s get ready for the Cats and Eagles in a must-impress game for Kentucky.

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Pregame Storylines

Boley Time: Cutter Boley took over for Zach Calzada after Calzada injured his shoulder late in the loss to Ole Miss. Now, all eyes will be on how Mark Stoops and Bush Hamdan handle the position Saturday night. Boley is expected to get the start. Could this be the beginning of a multi-year Boley era? He’s only a redshirt freshman, but looked comfortable in two series last week.
Hamdan Under Fire: Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan is already feeling the heat after severe operational issues and miscommunication slowed Kentucky down in the loss to Ole Miss, which led to national ridicule on the ABC broadcast. With the fan base growing restless, Hamdan needs a clean, efficient showing against Eastern Michigan to calm the noise and show that he has the ability to be an SEC playcaller.
Tackle Better: While Kentucky’s defense carried the team through two weeks, the tackling, particularly on the outside, could be much better. Brad White challenged his side of the ball, calling last week’s perimeter tackling, “unacceptable.” Look for improvement against EMU after the public call-out.
Eagles Can’t Stop The Run: Eastern Michigan’s defense has been shredded through two weeks, giving up 80 combined points and more than 600 rushing yards. Kentucky’s backs and offensive line should have every chance to dominate if they execute. After all, Texas State and FCS Long Island did.
Kroger At Night: Kickoff under the lights always brings extra energy, no matter the opponent. Kroger Field hasn’t seen a night atmosphere yet this season, so UK Athletics has an opportunity to really improve on the game day experience, which may be under more fire than Hamdan through two games.

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)

Player Spotlight

Kentucky QB, #8 Cutter Boley: The four-star recruit from Lexington will make his first start of 2025 after completing one 38-yard pass and taking a sack on short duty last week. Last season, Boley saw action in four games, including one start in the Governor’s Cup. He completed 26 of 53 passes for 338 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in his freshman season.
Kentucky RB, #3 Seth McGowan: After Dante Dowdell’s record-long run in Week 1, Seth McGowan was the star of Kentucky’s backfield in Week 2, running for 93 yards and two touchdowns, with one reception. He and Dowdell have a big opportunity against EMU.
Kentucky S, #14 Ty Bryant: A round of applause for Ty Bryant, who was named an honorable mention for the Thorpe Award National DB of the Week for his two-interception game against Ole Miss. Bryant also had a team-high 10 tackles in the loss.
Eastern Michigan TE, #88 Tanner LeMaster: LeMaster, a junior, is in his first season in Ypsilanti after spending his first two seasons as a reserve at the University of Kentucky. The Ohio native has three catches for 53 yards so far this season.
Eastern Michigan QB, #13 Noah Kim: Also new to Ypsilanti, Noah Kim won EMU’s QB job after he spent four seasons at Michigan State (2020-23) and last year at Coastal Carolina, throwing 13 career TDs across those five years. Kim has three TDs and no picks through two games as an Eagle, with 437 yards passing.
Eastern Michigan RB, #28 Dontae McMillan: McMillan scored twice last week, including a 33-yard rushing touchdown and a 40-yard receiving touchdown. He finished with 58 yards rushing on eight carries and 33 yards on one reception for 91 total yards in the loss to LIU.

Depth Charts

KENTUCKY

EASTERN MICHIGAN

Latest Injury News

This is an out-of-conference matchup, so availability reports will not be released. On the Kentucky side, quarterback Zach Calzada has the most notable injury after leaving last week’s game in the second half. Calzada did not practice most of the week, if at all. Also, cornerback DJ Waller missed last week’s game and could miss a second straight.

Last Meeting / All-Time Series

Kentucky and Eastern Michigan have two prior meetings, most recently in Week 2 of the 2019 season. It’s a game Kentucky fans don’t remember fondly. The Wildcats won, but starting quarterback Terry Wilson, fresh off a Citrus Bowl season, was carted off with a season-ending knee injury from a horse-collar tackle. Wilson had just thrown for 246 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 before his season ended against Eastern on September 7.

As for the rest of the game, Kentucky scored 38 points on the Eagles in a 38-17 win, including two touchdown passes by backup quarterback Sawyer Smith. Smith would get injured three weeks later, paving the way for Lynn Bowden to step in as the emergency quarterback.

Kentucky’s other game against Eastern occurred two years earlier in 2017, when the Eagles gave the Wildcats a scare in Kroger Field. The game was tied 14-14 at halftime before Austin MacGinnis and Benny Snell tacked 10 points on the scoreboard in the second half, leading Kentucky to a 24-20 victory.

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All-time series: Kentucky 2, Eastern Michigan 0

2025 Team Schedules/Results

Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC)

vs. Toledo (W, 24-16)
vs. (20) Ole Miss. (L, 30-23)
vs. Eastern Michigan
at (11) South Carolina
at (6) Georgia
vs. (7) Texas
vs. (15) Tennessee
at (24) Auburn
vs. Florida
vs. Tennessee Tech
at Vanderbilt
at Louisville

Eastern Michigan (0-2, 0-0 MAC)

@ Texas State (L, 52-27)
vs. Long Island (L, 28-23)
@ Kentucky
vs. Louisiana
@ Central Michigan
@ Buffalo
vs. Northern Illinois
@ Miami (OH)
vs. Ohio
vs. Bowling Green
@ Ball State
vs. Western Michigan

Join The Discussion over at KSBoard

Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard if you want to interact with the KSR crew during the game. A live discussion can be found in the game thread, plus several other topics and conversations about the Wildcats and more.

Point Spread

Point Spread: Kentucky -24.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Moneyline: UK -2800/EMU +1300

Coaches’ Comments

Mark Stoops

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Chris Creighton

Friday Link Dump

Weather Report

At last check, Saturday’s forecast has a high of 86 and a low of 60, so the all-day tailgaters will face some heat as they pregame on the pavement outside Kroger Field. Remember to drink plenty of water. Then, temperatures will drop for Kentucky’s first night game in Lexington. No rain is expected. Mostly warm and sunny for Week 3.

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Listen to the KSR Pregame Show

Be sure to tune in to the KSR Pregame Show at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, live from KSBar & Grille. Even better, be at KSBar & Grille before, during, or after the game.

Go Cats.