Kentucky opens the 2025 soccer season Saturday in opposition to Toledo. Excluding the COVID yr, that is the primary time in current reminiscence that oddsmakers don’t consider the Cats will go bowling, setting the win complete at 4.5 video games.
There’s no easing into the pool, both. Toledo is a perennial Group of 5 energy, picked to win the MAC season. The Rockets beat Mississippi State 41-17 in Starkville final season. The unfold opened at 12.5 factors earlier this summer time; now, it’s all the way down to 7.5 factors, an indication that Toledo is legit and Kentucky has extra doubters than believers going into Mark Stoops’ thirteenth season.
The excellent news is, Kentucky has a fairly good monitor report in season openers as of late. The Cats are 9-3 of their first recreation within the Stoops period; they’ve lined in 5 of the final six. At this level in his tenure, Stoops thinks he’s bought a system all the way down to be prepared for recreation one.
“Coaches say this on a regular basis, and I definitely really feel like this: you attempt to not make the identical mistake twice,” Stoops stated in his press convention immediately. “So, issues which have occurred in openers earlier than, I actually attempt to head off and ensure we’re ready.”
As we depend all the way down to kickoff, let’s make a journey down reminiscence lane to take a look at a few of these errors and the way Kentucky has fared within the final dozen season openers.
2024: Kentucky 31, Southern Miss 0
Unfold: -25.5 (Win)
Last Document: 4-8 (1-7 SEC)
Mom Nature did her finest to tell us that final season wasn’t going to be good. A two-hour lightning delay postponed kickoff to 10:05 p.m., and the sport needed to be referred to as on account of climate within the third quarter. Regardless, Kentucky took care of enterprise vs. Southern Miss, with Brock Vandagriff throwing three touchdowns and the protection shutting the Golden Eagles out.
2023: Kentucky 44, Ball State 14
Unfold: -25 (Win)
Last Document: 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
Ray Davis and Devin Leary made essentially the most of their Kentucky debuts, combining for 3 touchdowns in Kentucky’s season-opening win over Ball State in 2023. That stated, the Cats trailed the Cardinals 7-3 going into the second quarter earlier than discovering their footing and scoring 20 straight factors, 10 coming off two fumble recoveries.
2022: Kentucky 37, Miami (OH) 13
Unfold: -16 (Win)
Last Document: 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
Kentucky solely led Miami (OH) by three at halftime, 13-10, however Barion Brown returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a landing. Lower than a minute later, Keidron Smith recovered a fumble and returned it to arrange one other Kentucky landing. From there, the Cats cruised to Mark Stoops’ sixtieth victory, which tied him with Bear Bryant for essentially the most in program historical past.
2021: Kentucky 45, UL-Monroe 10
Unfold: -29.5 (Win)
Last Document: 10-3 (5-3 SEC)
Louisiana-Monroe bought on the scoreboard first, scoring a landing halfway by means of the primary quarter, however didn’t rating once more till late within the fourth quarter. Kentucky rolled in Will Levis’ debut. Levis completed with 367 yards and 4 touchdowns to at least one interception, connecting with Wan’Dale Robinson on two scores.
2020: No. 8 Auburn 29, Kentucky 13 (Away)
Unfold: +7.5 (Loss)
Last Document: 5-6 (4-6 SEC)
Resulting from COVID, SEC groups solely performed one another through the 2020 common season. Kentucky began its season at No. 8 Auburn with simply college students within the stands at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers solely led by one at halftime, 8-7; that didn’t final. Bo Nix threw three second-half touchdowns to drag away from the Cats. Kentucky didn’t do itself any favors, turning the ball over late and botching a pretend punt.
2019: Kentucky 38, Toledo 24
Unfold: -10.5 (Win)
Last Document: 8-5 (3-5 SEC)
Kentucky’s final recreation in opposition to Toledo was nearer than we’d have preferred till the second half. The Rockets led after the primary quarter, and the groups have been tied at 14 at halftime. Fortunately, the Cats took management within the third quarter, beginning with a fumble restoration that arrange a subject purpose and a 32-yard landing cross from Terry Wilson to Bryce Oliver. Kentucky pulled away to a 14-point win, overlaying the ten.5-point unfold vs. Jason Candle’s Rockets.
2018: Kentucky 35, Central Michigan 20
Unfold: -17.5 (Loss)
Last Document: 10-3 (5-3 SEC)
This recreation was a multitude. Kentucky turned the ball over 4 occasions within the first half and trailed Central Michigan 17-7 within the second quarter. The Cats rallied, with Gunnar Hoak coming in for an injured Terry Wilson, to throw a 24-yard landing cross to David Bouvier to offer Kentucky a 21-20 edge at halftime. Kentucky shut the Chippewas out within the second half and outgained them on the bottom 299-118.
2017: Kentucky 24, Southern Miss 17 (Away)
Unfold: -9.5 (Loss)
Last Document: 7-6 (4-4 SEC)
Keep in mind that time Kentucky performed Southern Miss in Hattiesburg to open the season? That was bizarre. So was the sport. Protection saved the day, forcing a pair of fumbles within the second half to avoid wasting a struggling offense. Denzil Ware returned one for a landing to offer Kentucky a 24-10 lead within the third quarter. Chris Westry pressured one other fumble within the fourth quarter, which Courtney Love recovered at midfield to assist the Cats keep in management.
2016: Southern Miss 44, Kentucky 35
Unfold: -3.5 (Loss)
Last Document: 7-6 (4-4 SEC)
A yr prior, the Golden Eagles beat the Cats in Lexington. That was fairly a shock contemplating Kentucky led 35-10 within the second quarter. From there, Southern Miss scored 34 unanswered factors to drag off the upset. The Golden Eagles had 261 yards of offense to Kentucky’s 22 within the second half. Yikes. The subsequent week, Kentucky misplaced at Florida 45-7.
2015: Kentucky 40, Louisiana-Lafayette 33
Unfold: -17 (Loss)
Last Document: 5-7 (2-6 SEC)
A drone crashed into Commonwealth Stadium proper earlier than kickoff of the season opener vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. Fortunately, nobody was harm, however that ought to have been an indication it was going to be a tough night time. The Cats led by three touchdowns at one level, however nearly blew the sport in entrance of a sellout crowd on the newly reworked stadium. Fortunately, Mikel Horton saved Kentucky from an upset with a 12-yard landing run with 57 seconds left. Phew.
2014: Kentucky 59, UT-Martin 14
Unfold: -21.5 (Win)
Last Document: 5-7 (2-6 SEC)
There have been no points in Mark Stoops’ second season opener. Patrick Towles threw for 377 yards, and the Cats’ backfield of Braylon Heard, Mikel Horton, and Jojo Kemp mixed for 5 touchdowns on the bottom to rout the Skyhawks 59-14. Kentucky completed with 656 yards of complete offense, the fourth most in a recreation in program historical past on the time. The one unhealthy a part of the day was a Kentucky cheerleader getting injured throughout a fall with 4 minutes to go, and getting carted off the sphere.
2013: Western Kentucky 35, Kentucky 26 (Nashville)
Unfold: -5.5 (Loss)
Last Document: 2-10 (0-8 SEC)
Mark Stoops’ debut as Kentucky’s coach was an unsightly one. Bobby Petrino embarrassed the Cats in Nashville in his debut as Western Kentucky’s coach. The Hilltoppers outgained the Cats 487-419 in complete offense and had the ball for nearly 35 minutes. That wasn’t the sport through which Western linebacker Andrew Jackson was captured on digital camera yelling, “They speculated to be SEC!” but it surely certain felt prefer it.
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