Kentucky football is in dire need of some momentum to get this program trending back in a favorable direction. They’ll have a golden opportunity to do so when the Texas Longhorns come to Lexington for the first time in program history.
Kentucky is still searching for its first SEC win, but Mark Stoops believes in his group and believes the results are coming.
“They’re a hard-working group,” he said this week. “They’re united and passionate about getting better every day. If we stay that way, we’ll
see the results.”
Texas, the preseason No. 1 team, has had struggles of its own. With a 4-2 record to this point, they have lost to an unranked Florida team, and their offense looks far from one that could win a national championship.
While the 21st-ranked Longhorns might not be the title favorite that many believed before the season, beating them would still be one of the program’s best wins in recent memory. Last season, the Wildcats played the Longhorns much closer than people believed, in Austin.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Bye Week Blues
Traditionally, the bye week is a chance for programs to get healthy and better prepare for the next opponent. That typically provides a better chance to win. That has not been the case for Kentucky under Mark Stoops, with a 6-11 record overall after a bye and a 5-10 record against SEC opponents.
In fact, Kentucky has not won an SEC game off a bye week since squeaking out a 38-35 victory over Vanderbilt in November 2020, nearly five years ago.
“We had a really good, productive bye week,” Stoops said. “We needed to get some guys healthy and needed to get better, and I feel like we got a lot of work done. Got guys healthy, got a little head start on Texas.”
How will Kentucky fare off the bye, given recent history?
Struggling Offense vs. Elite Defense
While Kentucky’s offense has been bad this season, Texas’ defense has been elite, which doesn’t bode well for Saturday.
Texas is ranked in the top 10 in nearly every defensive metric, including fifth in scoring defense. With an offense that has averaged just over 16 points per game against power opponents this season, this is going to be a tough task for Kentucky.
“They do a really good job of keeping the ball in front of them,” Kentucky OC Bush Hamdan said this week. “There’s not a lot of big plays down the field. They play sound, they play tough. It will be a great challenge for us.”
For Kentucky to pull the upset, Seth McGowan is going to have to play well, but the receivers are going to have to step up and make some big plays, which they have failed to do often this season.
Cutter Boley – Texas Part II
Cutter Boley’s highlight performance in a Kentucky uniform came against Texas on the road last season. Starting and playing the second half, Boley threw for 160 yards on 10/18 passing, and gave the Wildcats a glimmer of hope in that game and for the future.
While not earth-shattering numbers, Boley’s play even earned the Matthew McConaughey stamp of approval, who gave the QB a hug after the game and complimented his play.
Boley now has four career starts, including two in the SEC. He is visibly growing more comfortable and more confident, throwing for a career-high 225 yards and two touchdowns on the road against Georgia in the Wildcats’ last game. On Saturday, he will make his first career SEC home start.
“He’s going to get better. His comfort level with the offense — us playing better around him, giving him some time — all those things go together,” Stoops said of Boley this week. “He’s a confident young man. He knows he got better last week, and we have to carry that forward.”
It won’t be easy, but Boley has a chance to make a big statement on Saturday.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST on October 18th, 2025
- Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, KY
- TV Channel: ESPN will have the coverage for this game.
- Announcers: TBA
- Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
- Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Network.
- Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
- Replay: ESPN+ and SEC Network (check local listings).
- Rosters: UK | UT
- Stats To Know: UK | UT
- Advanced Stats
- Weather.com Forecast
- Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 12.5-point underdog with an over/under of 42.5 points. ESPN gives the Wildcats just a 17.8% chance of victory.
- Predictions: TeamRankings has Texas winning by two scores, 28-14. Sportsbook Wire has Texas by one possession and a two-point conversion, 27-19. DRatings.com picks Texas with the largest margin blowout, 31-13. I don’t foresee Kentucky’s weak offense putting up enough points to have an upset bid against an elite Texas defense. I am taking the Longhorns to win 35-20.
