Kentucky names Patrick Towles starting quarterback

Kentucky redshirt sophomore Patrick Towles was named the team's starting quarterback this season.

Kentucky redshirt sophomore Patrick Towles will be the team's starting quarterback this season, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops announced on Twitter.

Towles beat out redshirt freshman Reese Phillips, true freshman Drew Barker and junior Maxwell Smith, who played in nine games last season and completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,276 yards with 9 touchdowns and one interception.

The Wildcats went 2-10 and 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference last season, Stoops' first campaign in Lexington.

Towles redshirted last season after playing sparingly in five games as a true freshman, completing 19 of 40 passes for 233 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

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“This competition has brought out the best in our quarterbacks and I'm confident in Patrick moving our team forward,” Stoops said.

The Wildcats open the season at home against Tennessee-Martin on Aug. 30.

- Scooby Axson