Kentucky football quarterback Zach Calzada got off to a good start Saturday afternoon with a one-yard touchdown rush on a quarterback sneak midway through the first quarter.
Unfortunately, that proved to be the highlight of his afternoon.
Despite Kentucky beating Toledo 24-16, Calzada’s final stat line left a lot to be desired. He finished 10 of 23 for 85 yards and an interception. He only had 14 rushing yards on 10 carries.
“It’s not even kind of all on him,” UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said
of Calzada. “Do I think Zach looked in rhythm today? No. Did I feel in rhythm? No. I feel just like you guys. The one thing we got going is we’re 1-0, and that’s that. And we got to make a big jump from week one to week two.”
After starting the game 3/4, Calzada finished just 7/19.
Week 2 isn’t going to be any easier, with the Wildcats hosting Ole Miss in a nationally televised game on ABC.
Despite Calzada’s struggles, tight end Josh Kattus still has faith in him.
“I believe in him,” Kattus said during postgame interviews. “I’ve seen him make some of those throws in practice. I trust him. The whole team trusts him. He’s a really good ball player, and he throws some really good passes. I didn’t think twice of what happened today, and I know week two he’s going to be ready to go.”
The opinion that matters the most for Calzada is that of his head coach, and Mark Stoops is still supporting his QB1.
“He will improve,” Stoops said during postgame interviews. “I don’t think it was his best effort; I think he’ll tell you that. We have to be better around him. There are a lot of things we can do.”
Only one game in, and there is already skepticism about Calzada and Kentucky’s offense. That makes next week crucial as the Ole Miss Rebels come to Kroger Field.
