Strong Supporting Cast is What Cutter Boley Needs at South Carolina

Kentucky is moving forward with Cutter Boley as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback. After getting his feet wet in a win at home over Eastern Michigan, he’s diving headfirst into the deep end at one of the most challenging venues in college football.

The redshirt freshman was not expected to receive the green light this early in his career. The original plan was to sit for two years behind Brock Vandagriff. Injuries ultimately led him to walk away from football. Kentucky tried to maintain the original plan by bringing in Zach Calzada from the transfer portal. That plan changed when Calzada suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder against Ole Miss.

“Zach has not been 100% to this point,” Mark Stoops said on Monday. The Kentucky head coach is unclear if and when Calzada may be available in the future. “Anytime you’re dealing with an arm, with a quarterback, you have to be smart and cautious and make sure he’s healthy.”

That puts the ball in Boley’s hands ahead of arguably the most important game of the season for the Wildcats.

Boley has Team’s Support Ahead of Road Trip

Even though Stoops probably did not anticipate rolling with Boley this early into the season, it’s something he’s been preparing the in-state product for.

“We’ve been very confident in Cutter, and I’ve also told him the whole time, ‘You’re going to get your opportunity. It’s about what you do and how you play when you get that opportunity.’ I thought he did some very good things in this last game, it’s a lot to build on, and he’s getting more confident, more comfortable with every rep,” said Stoops.

The confidence Boley exudes on the field is infectious. When Stoops told the team in practice last week that No. 8 would be under center, he saw extra energy in practice.

“Cutter is very likable. The kids believe in him. They were excited,” said Stoops.

That excitement must turn into production. Boley’s first flash of greatness was on the road at Texas, but it was in the second half of an afternoon game where the Longhorns always maintained a comfortable lead. South Carolina at night is a different animal.

“We know playing on the road at South Carolina, Williams-Brice, I mean, that place is incredible. What a great atmosphere. It’s always a real challenge,” said Stoops.

“I think it’s about us and it’s about our operation. For him, to play in a hostile environment like that, we got to have people play well around him, and we got to really work it this week with the silent count and crowd noise and all those things.”

It’s not just getting help from his pass-catchers. A quality run game goes a long way, and a week ago, the Gamecocks gave up 285 yards on the ground. It also comes in the form of protection. South Carolina had 5 sacks and 11 TFLs last year at Kroger Field, and superstar EDGE Dylan Stewart is back in action, already with 2.0 sacks and 5.0 TFLs this fall. If Kentucky can give Boley time, the redshirt freshman showed that he can create explosive plays through the air and make the right decisions.

“I thought he did a very good job,” said Stoops. “It’s easy for all of us to watch the film afterwards and dissect it, and maybe see some opportunities that were maybe missed, but overall, he was very comfortable, very confident, and he played well.”