Chris Rodriguez will return to Kentucky football against Ole Miss

The Kentucky Wildcats will not be without Chris Rodriguez for much longer. UK announced the star running back will return to action when the Cats travel to Ole Miss Oct. 1.

Kavosiey Smoke and La’Vell Wright will continue to take a lion’s share of the carries over the next two weeks when the Wildcats host Youngstown State and Northern Illinois. Mark Stoops said he learned Rodriguez was cleared to play against the SEC West foe about 10 minutes before his weekly press conference, but would not clarify any other details surrounding Rodriguez’s suspension.

“I really don’t want to comment on that,” said the Kentucky head coach. “It is what it is. I realize y’all have a job to do and everybody wants to dig at it, but it is what it is. He’ll be back the Ole Miss game and we will be more than happy to welcome him back and have him go compete when he can. But right now we’re preparing to play Youngstown State.”

The UK running back has not been sitting on his butt throughout the four-game suspension.

“We’ve been prepared to handle this situation for weeks now. We’ve been getting the other guys ready, continuing to progress and also keep him in shape, get him reps when we can,” Stoops said Monday.

“Chris is wonderful because he wants to — he’s competing on scout team, goes down there and gets his reps. Scout team, special teams, he’s doing whatever he can to stay in shape, get the movements down with the run game and continue to take reps with the first and second team when he can in certain situations. He’s staying active, getting ready to go and we’ll continue to build with the running backs we have available.”

The 70-man roster limit for road trips prevented Rodriguez from traveling with the team to Gainesville, but he was cheering the team on from home.

Great to see Chris Rodriguez supporting his teammates from home as he waits to be cleared by the NCAA. Can't wait to see how much stronger this Kentucky team will be with him back on the sideline.

📸: crod_jr/IG pic.twitter.com/o5mBEREZ6l

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) September 11, 2022

Chris Rodriguez has 2,739 rushing yards, more than any other active SEC running back. He’s ranked sixth on Kentucky’s all-time rushing list. Prior to the suspension he was within reach of surpassing Snell’s record, but picking up 1,134 yards may now a be a task too tall to overcome.

Without Rodriguez in the lineup Kentucky is averaging 60 rushing yards per game. South Carolina is the only SEC team with fewer rushing yards this fall.

Jordan Wright was in a similar situation, opening the season with a one-game suspension. He returned with a bang, picking off a pass and recording a strip sack against Florida to earn SEC Player of the Week Honors. If Rodriguez can replicate that effort against Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin’s squad is in trouble in Oxford.