The Final Prep: Previewing Kentucky vs. Tennessee Tech and Senior Day

by: Drew Franklin2 hours agoDrewFranklinKSR

josh-kattus-kentucky — Aug 30, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end Josh Kattus (84) reacts after dropping a pass during the third quarter against the Toledo Rockets at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky Football has one more game in Lexington in the 2025 season. Saturday marks Senior Day and the home finale at Kroger Field, with Tennessee Tech stepping up in weight class to play the Wildcats from the Ohio Valley Conference. The Golden Eagles may be an FCS-level team, but they’ve beaten every opponent on their schedule by a wide margin. This is no pushover non-conference opponent to fill out the schedule with an easy win.

Will Kentucky win a second straight home game? The odds say they should, but we’ll all find out on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. and you’ll need SEC Network+ to stream it.

Until then, let’s get you ready for one last stand at Kroger Field.

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Pregame Storylines

Kroger Field Finale: This is Kentucky’s final home game of the 2025 season before closing with two straight road trips against ranked opponents in Vanderbilt and Louisville. Last week, the Wildcats ended the longstanding SEC home losing streak with a big win over Florida.
Senior Day: Kentucky will honor 25 seniors who have weathered a turbulent season and helped stabilize the locker room through losses, an early-season QB change, and outside noise. Fans are encouraged to be seated by 1 p.m. to recognize the senior class.
Unbeaten FCS Opponent: Tennessee Tech arrives at 10-0, ranked No. 5 in the FCS, and sporting the longest active winning streak in the subdivision (15 straight). They lead the FCS in scoring offense (45.2 PPG) and rank in the top five nationally in rushing defense, making them a dangerous FCS opponent on paper.
Kentucky’s Two-Game Win Streak: After slogging through a brutal midseason stretch, the Wildcats have now won back-to-back games at Auburn and against Florida, allowing just 10 total points in those contests. Kentucky looks far more confident heading into Game 10.
Storyline: Cutter Boley has grown up quickly behind center, showing improved command, tempo, and decision-making over the past two weeks. His efficiency against Florida helped the Wildcats to a record day in scoring against the Gators.
Tech’s Balanced, High-Powered Offense: The Golden Eagles average 450.9 yards per game and nearly 220 rushing yards, with a veteran quarterback in Kekoa Visperas and a deep RB rotation. Kentucky’s defense has been excellent the past two weeks, but this is a diverse offense playing up in weight class.
Avoiding FCS Trap: With back-to-back road challenges looming at No. 13 Vanderbilt and No. 19 Louisville, this is a classic trap-game setup. Kentucky has no margin for error if it wants to reach a bowl and must avoid looking ahead. Still, this is an FCS team vs. an SEC team, and the talent discrepancy should be clear.
Tennessee Tech’s Lack of Motivation: One thing playing into Kentucky’s hands is that Tennessee Tech doesn’t want to be in Lexington in the first place. Second-year head coach Bobby Wilder said of the game, “Hate it. I mean just absolutely hate this.”

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Tech: How to Watch/Listen

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network+ (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman)
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: 161 or 192 (UK)

Player Spotlight

Kentucky QB, #8 Cutter Boley: Boley has 917 yards and eight touchdowns in the last four games (Texas, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida) as Kentucky’s offense finds success later in the year. His completion percentage of 67.1 ranks fifth in the SEC and 29th nationally.
Kentucky RB, #3 Seth McGowan: After opening the year with seven touchdowns in four games, McGowan broke out of a three-game touchdown drought, running for two in the lopsided win versus Florida. He is Kentucky’s feature back this year with 621 yards rushing, 102 receiving, and nine TDs.
Kentucky WR, #1 Kendrick Law: Law matched his season-high with six catches in each of the last two games, and he has found the end zone in three of the last five.
Tennessee Tech QB, #9 Kekoa Visperas: The redshirt-senior quarterback is the engine of Tennessee Tech’s undefeated season, throwing for more than 2,000 yards with over 20 touchdown passes while completing nearly 70 percent of his attempts. Visperas can spread the ball to multiple targets and avoid negative plays, and the Golden Eagles design their up-tempo offense around him.
Tennessee Tech RB, #28 Quintell Quinn: Tech relies on a stable of backs with four players totaling more than 400 yards this season, led by Quinn’s 655 yards on the ground. He averages 7.5 yards per carry with nine touchdowns, second to Q’Daryius Jennings’ 10 touchdowns. Nine Golden Eagles have a rushing touchdown this season.

Last Meeting / All-Time Series

It has been more than 50 years since Kentucky and Tennessee Tech last met on the gridiron. The year was 1951, and the Wildcats beat Tennessee Tech 72-13 in the season opener and the only meeting between the two schools. Tennessee Tech lost eight fumbles that day, and Babe Parilli and the Wildcats made them pay for their mistakes. Kentucky had five scores off turnovers in the victory.

All-time series: Kentucky leads 1-0

2025 Team Schedules/Results

Kentucky (4-5, 2-5 SEC)

vs. Toledo (W, 24-16)
vs. #20 Ole Miss. (L, 30-23)
vs. Eastern Michigan (W, 48-23)
at South Carolina (L, 35-13)
at #12 Georgia (L, 35-14)
vs. #21 Texas (L, 16-13 OT)
vs. #17 Tennessee (L, 56-34)
at Auburn (W, 10-3)
vs. Florida (W, 38-7)
vs. Tennessee Tech
at #13 Vanderbilt
at #19 Louisville

Tennessee Tech (10-0, 7-0 OVC)

vs. Cumberland (W, 65-0)
vs. Chattanooga (W, 45-17)
vs. Davidson (W, 72-14)
@ Tennessee State (W, 35-8)
vs. Western Illinois (W, 66-20)
@ Charleston Southern (W, 27-13)
@ Lindenwood (W, 52-28)
vs. Southeast Missouri State (W, 42-23)
vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 27-21)
@ Eastern Illinois (W, 21-9)
@ Kentucky
vs. UT Martin

Join The Discussion over at KSBoard

Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard 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.

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Point Spread

Point Spread: Kentucky -21.5
Over/Under: 52.5
Moneyline: UK -2500/TT +1200

Coach and Player Comments

Mark Stoops

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Pregame Link Dump

Weather Report

Lexington will see a high of 68 for Senior Day. AccuWeather says to expect wind, with periods of clouds and sun.

Listen to the KSR Pregame Show

Tune in to the KSR Pregame Show at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, live from KSBar and Grille. Even better, get to KSBar and Grille, which opens at 10 a.m., for pregame fun, the watch party during the game, and the celebration after.

Go Cats.