Kentucky-Toledo Postgame Quotes
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEDIA CONFERENCE
August 30, 2025
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Coach Mark Stoops
Press Conference
Kentucky – 24 , Toledo – 16
MARK STOOPS: You know, there are many things to improve on. We all know that, our team knows that. I don’t think they are satisfied. But again, we will take the victory at any time. Our players are appreciative to be 1 and 0. You know, we all know what Toledo is capable of and they weren’t going to go away. I would have liked to have seen us get a stop once we go up 15, and credit them, they make the plays and get the big drives started with a 22-yard gain on the first down. Got them moving and got the score and made it close there late. You know, on the other side of the ball I would like to see us get a first down and have an opportunity to put the game away in the four-minute drill prior to them taking that position at the end. So, you know I thought we did some good things early in the game. In particular, defense was playing very good. How do turnover that set us up for the first score. Offensively, I felt like we were going to get in rhythm, and we hurt ourselves. We had the decision on the safety, Zach is going to hand that ball off, he knows that. There is no read there. He’s going to hand it and, you know, we’ve got to grind our way off the goal line there. And that took a complete possession away for us because that was first down. And then, I believe we get the fourth-down stop, and it was on second down that we fumble. You know, I feel like we were going to get into a rhythm and get moving and get good field position and the fumble hurt us. There is things that we did that shot ourselves in the foot that we have to get corrected. But the good side of it is that we overcame those bad plays and won the football game. We beat a very good team that’s getting top 25 votes. It’s not like they’re a bad team. We got the victory. We all know we need to get better. We all know the competitions going to improve. But it’s one game. It’s a step in the right direction and we have to go back to work and hopefully get that improvement that we all like to see between week one and week two.
Q Coach, – Dante (Dowdell) and Seth (McGowan) both had good games, can you just talk about those guys?
MARK STOOPS: They are good players. I’m glad you saw that today and I’m glad we had an opportunity to get them in the open field. Dante, there was an impressive run after the long drive that Toledo had to cut it. And one play drive and Dante rips off the touchdown run. You can see the big guy, we talked about in the off-season. Yes, he’s a big boy and he’s powerful but he showed great speed there again to take it for a 78 yard run. The same with Seth. I think both of them, both of those guys, need reps on our field as well. In the scrimmages they were really limited. They both played a lot of football. They are running backs and they are going to take a lot of hits through this year. I think the footwork and footing of our field, hopefully they will continue to improve and get more comfortable because they did slip a few times as well.
Q Did the offense look better in the scrimmages? Did you have normal rhythm or were you expecting the passing game?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, I did expect the passing game to be better today. I felt like we were off on some shots down the field. You know, I think we connect on one or two of those that were close. I think you feel a little different, we all feel a little different. So, I think working on that and trying to push the ball down the field. You know, it was off today. We need to improve and I’m sure we will.
Q – A lot of targets today. Was that kind of the game plan going into it?
MARK STOOPS: It’s just where it falls. And on the reads and on its progressions and where it’s at. We believe in those guys and we want to continue to get them touches. Like you’ve heard me say many times, as we get first downs and we don’t have a one play drive that goes for a safety. We don’t have we don’t have a two play drive and turn it over. If we get more reps, more first downs, we are going to get more touches and yards and so on.
Q Is the pass rush today, is that sort of what you expected to see from the setting?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, I did. They were disruptive. You know, we need to be. I’m not sure how many sacks we had but I know we were very disruptive. You know, in his face. As I’ve mentioned prior to this game, their QB is used to that, he does a really nice job under duress. Buying time in the pocket. Throwing with people in his face. And also scrambling to throw the ball when he has time.
Q Steven had two strip sacks today, we saw that last year, – what kind of weapon. What kind of weapon can Steven (Soles) be?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, Steven is a guy that plays with high energy. He plays very relentless. You know, he plays hard. He’s a bit undersized, but he plays extremely hard and brings us a lot of juice and energy. It’s good to see that and good to see him get the pressure.
Q Mark, how did you feel about your offensive line? I don’t think Toledo had a sack and you did run the ball.
MARK STOOPS: We did run the ball. You know, I thought that was important. 220 (yards), that was good. Obviously, a big improvement in that area. They did have some pressure. I don’t think Zach was real comfortable. I think that led to some incompletions and some of our timing and things that I would like to improve on. But overall, very good. As I mentioned, it’s important to them. When the game was on the line and things got close they wanted to be able to run the ball. For the last possession we did kill the clock and that situation was good to get those tough yards on third down there. That’s what we are looking to improve on.
Q Mark, JQ (Hardaway) had a big play initially and then you all were able to punch it in 29 yards. How important was that to do that on a short game?
MARK STOOPS: It was really important, really nice play by JQ. You know, early in that game, it was great to get some field position and get the seven nothing. We all get antsy, and the team, we try to head that off. Everybody, you all have been writing about it, talking about it, you know, and we appreciate that. We are all excited about the season. Game one can be frustrating in that way because you just want to play very well and usually it’s a bit sloppy. To play with the lead even though it wasn’t a big lead, you know, to play with the lead was helpful.
Q Mark, you know a couple of times last year that – had really long range and made some kicks in practice at 60. I don’t think it was quite 60 but you are in the fringe kind of zone a couple of times. Did you consider going out there for a long kick?
MARK STOOPS: No, I didn’t at that point in time. The way our defense was playing, you know, I know he has the leg for that. You know, I don’t know what the percentage is on that. It’s not like we kick them 60 yards. It might be one per day. I felt like field position was a big part of it. We had a lead and field position was critical. When it was eight, yes, I would have kicked. In any situation there. That was makeable to get it to a two score game.
Q Mark, it did look like Jamarion Wilcox was on the sideline. What is the situation there?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, Jamarion was out today. I will update you this week. Violation of team rules and I will give you more information when I can.
Q Mark, we hear so much about Zach being mature. What was his mindset heading into the game? Were you happy with the way he played?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, I think he was probably pressing. He seemed fine to me leading into the game and warming up and all of that. He cares, he wants to play well. He cares about his teammates. You know, he will look at this film and there is things he can do better but that will be the same with everybody that played. Everybody can improve and hopefully he will make a big jump and settle in and play some ball.
Q Mark, do you know what you are thinking about scoreless defense for 50 minutes –?
MARK STOOPS: A little of both, a little of both. I think going into the game you know what their quarterback and what he’s capable of. I was quite pleased the way we were containing him for the majority of that game. All you have to do is go to their bowl game last year and watch that. And you want to get aggravated, be the defensive coordinator on that. Because that’s what he’s capable of. I say that with a lot of respect. Because again, he takes shots and getting hit and delivers the football. They are a resilient team. That’s a good victory. I’m proud of the way our guys played. Yeah, I wish we would have finished a little cleaner on that side of the ball.
Q Mark, what happened on the safety?
MARK STOOPS: Zach’s got to hand the football. Bottom line. We had the edges protected. I think he got a little spooked, but we had it protected. You just got to get some tough yards there.
Q Grant Godfrey was rotating in quite regularly, is that part of the plan trading him forward?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, I think a lot of the guys like that. We know it is a long season. We have to develop our younger players and the guys that are coming along and protect some of the other guys from playing so many snaps.
Q Mark, – you talked about the importance of (Ty Bryant) just catching the ball (on punts). How much does that drive you crazy?
MARK STOOPS: He’ll get better, you know, that’s the tough thing. In the stadium we talked about in the summer and try to get him as many catches in there. It’s different with the wind blowing and the turf and all of that. He will get more and more comfortable. But it’s not an easy job and he’ll do it.
Q You mention the passing game needs to improve. How did you kind of turn that around with just seven days to go with conference play starting?
MARK STOOPS: You know, day-to-day through camp. One day may look better than the other. We’ve done some good things and will continue to work and we are not by any stretch going to panic or anything. We just got to get back to work. I also think that JJ’s catch, you know, that was fractions off. And we are really moving early there again, feel a little different, you know, there’s things we could do different. We can get to the ball and run a play and not give them time to review it too. We thought it was a catch. And again, as I mentioned, we were fractions off of some others, so we are not far off.
Q Just a quick comment on Chip (Trayanum)–
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, Chip, I saw him before the game and I saw him after and I’m very happy for him and very proud for him. You know, he’s an absolute fantastic young man and a really good player. He’s tough to bring down and he had a good game. I give him a lot of credit.
Q Alex Had 13 (tackles) –
MARK STOOPS: I knew he had a great day. I didn’t know how many tackles or I didn’t know his stats or anything, but I know he was around the football. He’s been very very steady, very good player, great young man, again, great leader. So happy for Alex. That’s the way he’s been playing. All right, thank you all. Appreciate it.
UK Student-Athletes
#84, Josh Kattus, TE
On the play where you hurdled the defender…
“It was pretty cool, I can’t lie. Thats something I’ve told myself If I don’t hurdle someone before my college career is over, It’s a failed career. I finally did it, it was a cool thing in the moment. Myu teammates were around me celebrating, giving me some juice and I was able to give the team some juice too, it was an incredible play.”
On concerns about the offense being the same as last year…
“I’d tell them not to be concerned. We ran the ball very well, but we just didn’t connect on some of those deep passes. I’ll take credit myself, I mean, I had one down the field that would’ve been a great catch if I came down with it. That’s moving the chains, so I think we’re going to be good. We’re going to get back after it at practice and the offense has already identified some problems in the locker room. I think we’ll be good. Fans just have faith in us. We’re going to punch the clock this next week and be ready to go.”
On message to Zach after the game…
“Keep your head up man, we all believe in him. I’ve seen him make some of those throws in practice. I trust him, the whole team trusts him. He’s a very good ball player and he throws some really good passes. So, I didn’t think twice about what happened today and I know in week two he’s going to be ready to go.”
On tight ends involvement in the pass game…
“Yeah! It was fun, I don’t really look at the game that way. I just go out there and play, if the ball finds me, it finds me. Willie made some great plays, and I got some hands on the ball as well. It was a lot of fun; we’re just going to try to keep it up.”
#2, Dante Dowdell, RB
On getting the offense going…
“Yeah, it was nice, it was the longest run I’ve had in my career, 79, it felt good, you know we said before the game, we’re going to keep running the ball, running the ball.”
On getting into open space…
“Oh yeah it was big, it was a big hole, it was big I was like I gotta go”
On his reputation as a power-back…
“Yeah, I want to change the narrative on me. I’m still going to be a power back, but I still want to let everyone know that I can break my runs too.”
#3, Seth McGowan, RB
On the first game playing on Kroger Field…
“It’s magic. Like I was saying, I was very excited and anxious to see what the people and nation
were going to do to come out and support us. The fans did a phenomenal job, and I think we did a pretty good job today, but there is definitely a lot to improve on and that’s what I am looking forward to the most.”
On what was working and not working with offense…
“I think most of our basic fundamental scheme was actually efficient and just took a little bit for
the guys to get the first game jitters out of the way. Towards the middle of the game, we started clicking, and chemistry is definitely there; we just have to be better with communication.”
On the excitement of Dantes’ run…
“That was huge, especially for the offence and energy. Like I said, we ground the pound and we
wait on that big one. A lot of the conversations with our coach were just telling us that we need
to be consistent and continue to hit our points.”
#5, Zach Calzada, QB
On his first home game at Kroger Field…
“Well, it felt good to be out there the first time with all of these guys. You know, there were some ups and downs, but I feel good about these guys, and we are going to get better.”
On the message to the team for next weekend’s game (Ole Miss)…
“The message to the team was said, we have got to get better and we will get better. So I am
excited to go back to the practice with these guys and see what we do next Saturday.”
On Calzada’s opinion of the offensive line…
“They were awesome, I think we ran for like 200, something yards but you know the offensive line was great. They have done a great job all off-season, all summer, and we ran the ball really well because of them.
#35, Steven Soles Jr., LB
On his excitement for Saturday’s game …
“Going out, it was like my first time again, honestly…coach told us, take a deep breath. I had to take a deep breath because I was just so excited. We have some walk-ons starting on special teams, so just going out there with them, and building energy and harvesting Kroger Field’s energy along with those guys is something that you can’t put into words.”
On what makes you a good pass rusher considering that you’re not the biggest guy …
“I would just say my drive, you know always moving, always pushing forward, countering doing something. To block me you’re going to have to work, work consistently.”
On the defense making big stops …
“It feels great, going into this game and to the season in general, coach told us you know you guys are going to have to step up and get them off the field, 3 and out, or you know don’t extend their drive. So, you know today to come in and do what he said, you know he’s easier at practice.”
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. TOLEDO
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY
AUGUST 30, 2025
Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle
Opening Statement…
“Hats off to Kentucky. Coach Stoops. Tough football game today, hard-fought game. Now, in the end, we gave ourselves a chance to maybe put ourselves in position to win the game, you know, towards the end there. Ultimately, we have to start better, and we have to be better in the first half, especially offensively. But a lot of mistakes that look like game one things today. Try to do the best job you can to guard against those in preseason practice, and today some of those things bit us in the backside, and that can’t happen against a quality opponent. So, that being said, I’ll take questions.”
On how frustrating this game was…
“We had a couple of costly turnovers that you can’t count on overcoming. And, you know, you’ve got to play good situational football. At times, we just left our defense out on the field too long in the second quarter and the third quarter, playing a lot of snaps. I think we ended up pretty even statistically with plays snapped, but over the course of the second and third quarters, there were a couple of three-and-outs, and the defense got a little gassed. So, it’s frustrating. Those are game one mistakes, and you’ve got to get them right, get them fixed, and get ready for a quality opponent this week.”
On rallying the players back for next week…
“Obviously, we expect to win every football game, you know. But this is where we have to see the biggest improvement from week one to week two, you know. And if this is an FCS opponent, you know, it’s a one-sided game in our favor, I would tell you the same thing. I mean, this is the maturation process of the 2025 Toledo Rockets, and we’ve got to master that. We’re going to get back on the practice field tomorrow. We’ve got to have a really good week, as we know. We’ve got a quality opponent coming.”
On taking Chip out of the game…
“I mean, we’ve got a rotation. You can’t play every player on every play. There’s a rotation, and we’ve got confidence in the other guys. I think we’ve got to do a good job managing player load throughout the course of the game and have a better understanding of situations at all positions. Early in the season, you’re trying to find out about players, to be honest with you. There were some key third downs today where players were out there who sometimes aren’t normally out there, and we’re trying to see what that looks like. Javon Brown makes a big catch and run today, and last year Javon Brown was on the scout team. So, you know, it’s early in the season. It’s week one. We’re trying to get some guys’ feet wet, put them in positions and situations they haven’t been in. We weren’t able to have a spring football game, so this was the first time a lot of guys ever played in front of fans. And, you know, that’s part of it.
Toledo Student-Athletes
#4, Tucker Gleason, QB
On the first interception…
“It was a good play call. We got the coverage that we liked. You know I’m told good timing and ball placement and accuracy, so that’s what I’m working on. The receivers slipped a little bit, and, you know, nothing to his fault. It’s a play that happens, and the DV made a good play and stepped in front of it.”
On if the game was moving faster today due to the quality of opponent…
“I don’t think so. I think we did a good job as an offense kind of figuring it all out, and now the next step is fixing weak communication. I think that is where we lacked more today, just the communication piece of it.”
On lack of communication with newer players…
“We’ve got a couple new guys in there. Our starting center this week was brand new. So offensively it’s just different than it was last year. So, like, communication is key nowadays, and just, you know, tough to come in here and you can’t communicate.”
#7, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S
On how having an experienced defense made an impact in the first half…
“I feel like it played out good because we are all on the same page. All communicating and knowing what is coming from the offense. I feel like that’s what a big part of our defense is.
On his biggest takeaway from playing against an SEC team week 1…
“Going forward, just fix the mistakes. Go back to the film, do the corrections and play better next week and come out with that dog mentality next week.”
On if fatigue set in later in the game…
“I think it was something like that but not really fatigue. Just bad communication and not knowing what’s coming… just all over the place.”
