When Kentucky visits South Carolina on Saturday, redshirt freshman Cutter Boley will get the third start of his UK career.
Boley earned his first win as a starter against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 13. In that win, Boley connected on 12 of 21 through the air for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On Monday, UK head coach Mark Stoops talked about Boley’s play in the victory.
“Cutter’s done some really good things,” Stoops said. “You’ve heard me talk about him many different times. We’ve watched him play in other games and show some flashes and we’ve been very high on Cutter.”
Stoops likes how Boley is making the most of the situation with Zach Calzada recovering from an injury.
“It’s about what you do and how you play when you get that opportunity,” Stoops said. “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, he’s getting more comfortable.”
On Saturday night, the Cats face one of the most hostile environments in the Southeastern Conference. Stoops knows that his team will be prepared.
“We know going on the road in the SEC, playing at night, is never easy,” Stoops said. “It’s going to be a great challenge. It’s a game that’s important to both of us. We know, playing at South Carolina, that place is incredible. What a great, great atmosphere. It’s always a real challenge. Our team will be prepared and ready to go.”
That includes preparing Boley for the situation. One thing Stoops wants to see from his team is the ability to rally around Boley and to help him.
“I think it’s about us, it’s about our operation,” Stoops said. “For him to play in a hostile environment like that, we’ve got to have people play well around him and we’ve got to really work at that this week, with the silent count and crowd noise and those things.”
What does that mean, specifically?
“We have to play clean. We’ve done a very good job this year of protecting the football. I think we have one fumble and one interception, and we’ve got to continue to protect the ball,” Stoops said. “The operation has to be good, as far as pre-snap penalties and things of that nature.”
Being able to run the ball will also be a key component for the Cats.
“That’s obviously a point of emphasis, that balance,” Stoops said. “You have to have some balance. If you go back to previous games and if we’re not able to run the ball, you have to drop back and pass and that was an area of concern last year.”
Being able to run the ball, and protecting the passer, both start with solid offensive line play.
“Offensive line, I think it all starts there,” Stoops said. “We have to give some protection. We know South Carolina can harass the quarterback. We have to give them some time and we have to have some balance as well.”
While there will be a lot on Boley’s shoulders, Stoops knows that the freshman signal caller will need some help around him as the Cats battle the Gamecocks on Saturday.
Courtesy: UK Athletics
