Mark Stoops compliments 'moxie' of Cutter Boley

There are traits you can’t coach, and “moxie” is one of them. On Monday, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops claimed freshman quarterback Cutter Boley has a surplus of this special quality.

“He’s just got that feel. He’s got the moxie,” Stoops said. “He gets along with absolutely everybody on the team. He fits in with everybody. He’s just got a very good personality that way. I think they know he’s got that moxie or swagger, or whatever you want to call it. When he gets in there, he has a strong belief in himself and he sees the field well.”

Boley showed off his potential in Kentucky’s 31-14 loss to Texas on Saturday. After Kentucky’s starting quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, only scored one touchdown and threw an interception in the first half, head coach Mark Stoops started Boley following the halftime break.

Boley was sacked for a loss of 13 yards on his first play on the field but he didn’t allow the moment to deter him. On the very next play, Boley threw a 43-yard dart to wide receiver Barion Brown. Only three plays later, Boley completed a 38-yard pass to Ja’Mori Maclin.

Alas, as Kentucky began to gain momentum, the play was called back due to a holding penalty on offensive lineman Eli Cox. Boley ultimately completed 10-of-his-18 pass attempts for 160 yards in the loss.

Although Boley also threw an interception, he appeared to be a far more dangerous passing threat than Vandagriff. Stoops was certainly impressed with the former four-star prospect’s performance.

“In a tough environment, against a top-five team in the country, on the road and all-out pressure, give a little ground and throw it to a space — I’m not sure TV does it justice,” Stoops said. “I look at it on film, and you see the way he had the awareness, the presence that he was calm, backed up and threw it to an open space. It was a pretty impressive play.

“There’s many more like that in there. I’d like to see us give him a little bit more time so he can operate more efficiently. And the same goes for Brock… I’ll take that and I’ll also work to get it fixed. We’re very excited to get it fixed, and move forward.”

Cutter Boley will start in Kentucky’s final regular season game as the Wildcats square off against Louisville at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on the SEC Network.