Mark Stoops defends decision to keep Cutter Boley in the game after neck injury

It was the moment the entire Big Blue Nation held its breath.

In the first half of a game that was already slipping away, freshman quarterback Cutter Boley was tackled awkwardly, his neck bending in a way that made you wince just watching on TV. He stayed down. He was helped off.

The "Future of the Program" looked like he was done for the day.

Then, inexplicably to some, he came back in. And not only did he come back in, he stayed in until the bitter end of a 45-17 blowout, taking hits behind an offensive line that couldn't block a stiff breeze.

Oh, and his first play back in? A QB draw, make that one make sense.

'If he was gurt, we’d have taken him out'

Postgame, Mark Stoops was asked directly if there was any thought to pulling the freshman late in the game to protect him, especially given the score and the injury scare.

"At that point... we didn't want him running around, putting himself in harm's way," Stoops said. "We wanted to just operate the offense, get him some more snaps. So, no, he was fine. I mean, if he was hurt, we'd have taken him out."

The reps vs. risk debate

Stoops' logic is clear: Boley is still just a redshirt freshman, starting just his 10th game. He needs game reps. He needs to see a live defense.

Boley finished the game 26-of-44 for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He showed flashes of arm talent, but he also showed he is a young player trying to survive a collapsing pocket.

But the counter-argument from fans is equally loud: Was it worth it?

Why risk your franchise quarterback in the fourth quarter of a 35-point blowout when he already tweaked his neck earlier in the game? Why not let Zach Calzada (who threw a pick in his brief cameo) hand the ball off and get out of Nashville without further damage?

The offensive line woes

The decision looks even riskier when you look at the rushing stats. Kentucky averaged 1.6 yards per carry. The offensive line was getting blown up at the line of scrimmage all night.

Asking an injured freshman to drop back 44 times behind that line is a bold strategy. Thankfully, Boley seems to have avoided major injury, but the decision to leave him in will be debated on talk radio all week. And it should be.

Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion