Dante Dowdell ran untouched for a 79-yard touchdown with 9:22 to play, and Kentucky made Zach Calzada’s debut successful with a 24-16 victory over Toledo on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.
A transfer from Nebraska, Dowdell ran for a career-high 129 yards on 14 attempts. He scored Kentucky’s third rushing TD to give the Wildcats (1-0) some breathing room when Toledo (0-1) scored with 1:55 left.
After Toledo cut its deficit to 17-9 on a 9-yard TD run by quarterback Tucker Gleason with 9:38 left, Dowdell raced untouched down the right sideline on the first play of the subsequent drive.
Calzada rushed for a short touchdown in the first half of his debut with his fourth school after stints with Auburn, Texas A&M and Incarnate Word. Kentucky’s Seth McGowan added a 6-yard rushing TD while contributing 78 yards on 18 attempts, including 27 on his team’s second TD drive.
Calzada completed 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards and often had trouble completing deep passes before Kentucky shifted to a heavier running attack in the second half.
After Calzada struggled with deep throws in a bid to expand a 10-2 lead, he guided a 12-play, 76-yard drive spanning 6:27. The Wildcats ran nine times on the drive and expanded their lead on McGowan’s TD with 12:30 remaining.
Gleason completed 23 of 40 passes for 270 yards for Toledo. Junior Vandeross III was targeted 11 times and had seven catches for 88 yards, including a 20-yard TD with 1:55 remaining to pull the Rockets to 24-16.
Toledo scored its first points by sacking Calzada in the end zone with 13:08 remaining in the second but sabotaged its upset bid by committing 11 penalties for 94 yards. The Rockets committed two crucial pass interferences to set up Kentucky’s first two TDs.
Calzada’s 1-yard plunge with 6:27 left in the first quarter opened the scoring, and Jacob Kauwe’s 45-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the second put Kentucky ahead 10-2 by halftime.
