QB Patrick Towles is hoping to turn around Kentucky's fortunes. (Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports)
Patrick Towles won the four-person derby to be the starting quarterback and will be behind center when Kentucky opens the season against Tennessee-Martin on Aug. 30.
The 6-foot-5, 238-pound sophomore was a ballyhooed recruit when he joined the program in 2012 and now gets an opportunity to fulfill his promise.
Towles beat out redshirt freshman Reese Phillips, junior Maxwell Smith and freshman Drew Barker. Smith is a former starter who is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
“I’m super excited,” Towles told reporters. “It’s a great opportunity. It’s something that I’ve wanted for my entire life. To have this kind of opportunity is awesome.”
Towles played in five games in 2012 — he threw one touchdown pass in 40 attempts — and is shaking the rust off during fall camp. He redshirted last season while the since-departed Jalen Whitlow and Smith shared the quarterback job.
In his first season on campus, Towles’ cockiness was evident as he nicknamed himself “Patty Ice,” a reference to “Matty Ice,” the nickname of Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan.
Now Towles claims he has matured and is ready for the task of leading a team.
“When I got here, I was an 18-year-old kid,” Towles said. “Playing in front of 65,000 people was nuts. It was crazy. Now I’ve been here for going on my third year in school, and it definitely feels like everything is a lot quicker and sharper and it’s easier to make decisions.”
The Wildcats open the season with easy contests against Tennessee-Martin and Ohio University before the schedule toughens up. Kentucky opens SEC play against Florida on Sept. 13 and that is where Towles will really get tested.
Coach Mark Stoops is counting on Towles being up to the task and being the quarterback the program desperately needs.
“I hope now that he has the keys, that he can drive the bus and be the leader that we need him to be,” Stoops told reporters.
NOTES: Starting OT Darrian Miller will miss the opener due to a one-game suspension for violating team rules. … WR Alex Montgomery (knee) will miss the opener as he continues to recover from an injury suffered last season. … WR Jeff Badet (eye) is expected to miss at least the first two games after being injured in a recent practice. … WR Rashad Cunningham also drew a one-game suspension for violating team rules. … Freshman QB Drew Barker will likely be redshirted after failing to win the starting job.
