After a valiant late first half rally that featured 10 points in just over a minute and a half, the Eastern Michigan football team entered halftime in Lexington, Kentucky with momentum, only trailing the heavy home favorites by 12 at the break.
However, the second half is where the University of Kentucky would flex their muscles — out-scoring their Mid-American Conference foe 20-7 during the final 30 minutes and pulling away to claim a dominant 48-23 victory over the Eagles.
Before the game, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops announced a quarterback change: redshirt freshman Cutter Boley would lead the team into battle as the starting quarterback over seventh year senior Zach Calzada. The spark provided by the former being inserted into the lineup was immediate.
Boley’s two passing touchdowns were the first through the air for Kentucky all season and his 240 pass yards paved the way for the Wildcats’ ground attack to shine. Seth McGowan posted over 100 yards while punching in three rushing touchdowns, while Jason Patterson added in an additional 80 yards with a touchdown to the stat sheet.
Kentucky’s 252 rushing yards and 7.3 yards per play continued the trend of early season struggles for Eastern Michigan’s defense at large; now having given up 128 points in the opening three contests thus far.
The Eagles are now giving up average of 42.7 points per game, and are also one of a few teams in the country that have failed to force a turnover during that stretch as well.
The bright side for Eastern Michigan on a gloomy and rainy night was the offense continuing to find its footing.
Noah Kim put together statistically his best game as an Eagle thus far with 330 yards through the air. His biggest play of the night was a 64 yard dime for a touchdown to Terry Lockett Jr. late in the second stanza that brought the green and white back into the game for the moment.
Kim also added an additional 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground late in the going, while Dontae McMillan contributed 83 rushing yards to the statsheet on 13 carries.
Freshman kicker Rudy Kessinger also shined under the bright lights of Kroger Field — the Ohio native making three of his four kicks in damp conditions, including a 50 yarder right before the end of the first half.
The win improves Kentucky to 2-1 on the new year, while Eastern Michigan falls to 0-3 to begin a season for the first time since 2020.
Next week, the Eagles return home to Rynearson Stadium for an early Homecoming date against the Rajun’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette.
With their backs against the wall and season on the line entering their final non-conference contest of 2025, “Operation Go Green” will commence for Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m. Viewers can stream all the action live on ESPN+.
