Kentucky to Face Toledo in Season Opener

The Kentucky Wildcats will face the Toledo Rockets in their 2019 season opener on Saturday coming off a 10-3 record, 5-3 in the SEC and a Citrus Bowl win over Penn State last season.

Past and Present

During the offseason, Kentucky lost Josh Allen, Benny Snell, Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Mike Edwards to the NFL. This leaves the question if current players are going to step up and lead their team to another successful season.

However, young quarterback Terry Wilson has expectations to fulfill after a successful first season with 180 completions for 1,889 yards and 11 touchdowns.

It was a long journey to 10 wins in season one for @TerryTouchdown3! The junior is confident that you will see a vastly improved QB1 this season. pic.twitter.com/4QmgDT9XRo

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) August 25, 2019

Last season, the junior became the first Wildcat player with at least 1,500 passing yards and 500 net rushing yards in the same season.

Coach Mark Stoops said Wilson is much more confident coming into the new season.

Since running back Snell’s departure from UK, running backs Asim (AJ) Rose and Kavosiey Smoke are expected to share the work on the field this season.

Rose rushed 86 times for 479 yards with five touchdowns last season, including a career-long 75-yard touchdown dash which was the longest run by a Wildcat that season.

Meanwhile, Smoke only played in one regular-season game and the bowl game. The redshirt freshman turned heads against Louisville, rushing four times for 45 yards, including a 37-yard scoring dash.

Coach Stoops said Smoke is creating buzz around Lexington.

The secondary is a worry for the Wildcats because of the inexperience of the players on the roster. However, they will be put to the test when they face Toledo’s offense this weekend.

Stoops knows his team has a lot to prove.

Face the Now, Not the Future

Kentucky is feeling the pressure from fans for the 2019 season after they snapped a 31-game losing streak against the Florida Gators in the Swamp and upset Mississippi State early last season.

Yet, Stoops is taking it one day at a time and focusing on Toledo right now.

The Wildcats strength is the team, Stoop said.

Where to Watch

Tune in to the SEC Network on Saturday at 12 p.m. EST to catch the Wildcats take the field against the Rockets.