This was supposed to be Cutter Boley's moment.
Prior to the game, the redshirt freshman quarterback announced he would be wearing custom cleats featuring legendary Kentucky-born quarterbacks. It was meant to be a statement, a signal that he was ready to carry the torch in the rivalry.
Instead, the torch got extinguished.
Boley never had a chance. He finished 13-of-26 for 100 yards and two interceptions in a 41-0 blowout where the team looked lost in every phase. He even got into a scuffle on the sideline, something that BBN loves about him. He will never back down from a fight, and he will do all he can to win.
Cutter says "I want to be here"
With Mark Stoops defiant about his return, the attention shifted to his quarterback who has some big decisions ahead. Would Boley stick around for a rebuild under a coach on the hottest seat in the country in an offense that consistenly looks unprepared and not very good?
After the loss, Boley tried to reassure the fanbase.
"Yeah, this is definitely where I want to be," Boley said. "I want to play for Kentucky."
Read between the lines
Fans will cling to that quote, but in the modern era of college football, phrasing matters. Not that he did not say I will be at hte University of Kentucky.
He said he wants to be here. He didn't unequivocally say he will be here.
It is going to be a long, chaotic portal season. Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamdan is likely gone. Stoops is under fire. And other programs with stable coaching staffs and deep NIL pockets will be calling on the young signal caller.
Boley "wants" to be a Wildcat today. But unless Mitch Barnhart and Mark Stoops fix the mess around him, "wanting" might not be enough to keep him. Just because he wants to, it doesn't mean he will be and BBN will have a reason to worry until the Transfer Portal closes.