LEXINGTON Ky. (WYMT) - The biggest surprise Sunday for the Wildcats may have been the offense. More specifically, the play of Max Smith at quarterback.

Smith finished the day 35 of 50 for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns, and it could be his poise and control of the offense that could help the Cats versus Kent State Saturday.

"You know, a lot of people had speculations about him. But, as an offense we knew working with him that he just had a whole new confidence coming in to this season", said Wildcats center Matt Smith. "Just, he had total control of the huddle all spring and all fall. We felt very confident with him back there, and he feels confident with us up front."

"So, as long as you have that trust between the O-line and the quarterback, we are able to keep them away from him most of the time. But, he does a great job of commanding things out there, and he has a quick release. So, he gets the ball out, which helps us out as an offensive line, so we are not back there blocking all day. You know, great guy, he is very encouraging, enthusiastic the whole time throughout the game. So, even as a young guy, that's the kind of guy that you want back there."

Next up for the Cats are the Kent State Golden Flashes. Kick off is set for 7:30pm at Commonwealth Stadium.

Coverage of the game can be found on ESPN3 and Comcast Sports Southeast.