Great Moments In Chris Rodriguez History

Earlier today, Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez announced he will sit out of Kentucky’s upcoming Music City Bowl appearance, thus ending his time in UK’s backfield. A fifth-year senior, Rodriguez graduates from the Kentucky Football program ranked third all-time in career rushing yards, only 229 yards shy of matching the school record of 3,873 yards, set by the star running back he replaced, Benny Snell.

Rodriguez thanked the fans in his parting message as he steps away to rest up and heal before chasing his dreams of playing in the National Football League.

“Big Blue Nation, thank you for everything! I can’t tell you how much your support this past year has meant to me,” he wrote. ”Although I’m going to sit out the bowl game to focus on my health and prepare for my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL, I’ll be in the Music City to support my brothers and I hope to see you there! Kentucky always!”

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A post shared by Chris Rodriguez Jr (@crod_jr)

As we say goodbye to one of the best to ever do it, let’s look back on Rodriguez’s best games and moments as a Wildcat. It was a complicated career, but one Big Blue Nation won’t soon forget for all he did for the program.

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From “Mini-Benny” to “C-Rod”

When Benny Snell left Kentucky for the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans wondered if they would ever see another running back the caliber of Snell, who passed Sonny Collins on the all-time rushing list in Kentucky’s Citrus Bowl win, Snell’s final game. As it turned out, the next best thing was already in Kentucky’s backfield, a freshman named Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Rodriguez quickly earned the nickname “Mini-Benny” for his bulldozing running style, the same brand of running back Kentucky had in Snell for three seasons from 2016-18. Matter of fact, Snell once told KSR, “I’m very excited to see him. I know what he can do. He reminds me a lot of myself and he’s going to be a powerhouse. I expect him to make big plays and be humble and be the best Chris he can be. The Mini-Benny thing, it’s like, I’m Benny myself, so I like it, but I want him to have his own legacy. Let him be Chris. Let him come up with his own name so he can do his own thing.”

In the end, Rodriguez created his own legacy under the nickname “C-Rod,” nearly hunting down Snell’s record with 3,644 rushing yards for his career, coming up 230 shy of Snell’s spot atop the list. Rodriguez leaves as the third-highest rusher behind Snell and Collins.

School record-holder for the most 100-yard games

Rodriguez may have come up short of Snell’s rushing-yard record, but he has his own place in Kentucky’s record book for the most 100-yard games in school history. He broke Benny’s other record with 100 yards in the final game of his career for 20 career 100-yard games in Blue and White.

In that same game, Rodriguez secured his undefeated record against Louisville, too.

AP First Team All-SEC and lots more hardware

In addition to Rodriguez’s place in Kentucky’s history, his trophy shelf is crowded with awards and accolades from a prolific career. Last season he was named 2021 All-SEC First Team by the AP and USA Today; All-SEC Second Team by the coaches and Phil Steele; and All-SEC Third Team by PFF. In 2020, PFF put him on its All-SEC First Team and Phil Steele selected him to his Fourth All-SEC Team.

Rodriguez also has two SEC Player of the Week awards from 2021 and could’ve added more hardware to the shelf in 2022 if not for missing the first four games of the season, which also cost him the rushing record. Before the year began, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele named him a Preseason All-American as the SEC’s leading returning rusher.

His first two runs and debut game in 2018

Rodriguez wasn’t needed as a true freshman in Kentucky’s 10-win season in 2018, part of a backfield with Snell, AJ Rose, Sihiem King, and Kavosiey Smoke, but he still gave a brief glimpse of what was to come when he got the first carry of his career in mop-up duty against Murray State. A redshirt year for Rodriguez, he made his Kentucky debut late in a shutout and rushed for 16 yards on his first run. Two plays later, he dragged a pile of Murray’s defenders to the two-yard-line on a 27-yard run.

Fun fact: he was only 17 years old when he mowed over the Racers for 43 yards on two touches.

Breakout game versus Vanderbilt

Rodriguez gave everyone their first real look at “C-Rod” in Kentucky’s win over Vanderbilt in 2019, his second season in Lexington but first without the redshirt. He carried the ball a career-high 15 times for a career-high 129 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in the 38-14 defeat of the Commodores in Nashville.

From the KSR vault:

Hosed at Auburn in 2020

A not-so-great moment in Chris Rodriguez history, he and Kentucky opened the COVID season with a tough loss at Auburn. However, the outcome could’ve gone the other way if the clear touchdown run by Rodriguez had counted.

Remember this crap?

In what world does this ball not break the plane?!?!? And after a review?! Two plays later, Kentucky throws a pick. Game changer pic.twitter.com/jZd8wXrknD

— Jeff Ambrosini (@jeff_ambrosini) September 26, 2020

Mark Stoops said afterward, “Unfortunately it doesn’t matter. Until something changes or somebody holds somebody accountable, we need to move on. What did it look like to me? It looked like he was a yard deep into the end zone.”

Even Rich Brooks was upset.

That’s the worst call I’ve seen. Kentucky had a TD.

— Rich Brooks (@UKcoachbrooks) September 26, 2020

Sealing the win over LSU in 2021

The touchdown stood when Rodriguez’s late-game score secured Kentucky’s upset of LSU in 2021. His 18-yard TD run gave him 147 yards on 16 carries against the Tigers and put the Wildcats up 21 with four minutes to go.

For the game, Rodriguez averaged 9.2 yards per carry with another touchdown on Kentucky’s first possession, a three-yard TD catch to go up 7-0.

His 147 yards were the most rushing yards for a Wildcat versus LSU since Al Baker’s 159 in 1990.

200 yards and (almost) four TDs versus Mizzou

Earlier that 2021 season, Rodriguez recorded his first and only 200-yard game with 206 in Kentucky’s Week 2 win over Mizzou. The 206 yards on 27 carries accounted for two rushing touchdowns, plus one more touchdown through the air on a five-yard pass from Will Levis.

A fourth Rodriguez touchdown was also scored but it was retroactively awarded to a teammate days later when it was determined Rodriguez lost the ball in the end zone and it was recovered by Eli Cox.

Three rushing TDs versus South Carolina

There was one other three-TD game for Rodriguez when he ran all over South Carolina in the 2020 regular-season finale. Kentucky closed out the year with a 41-18 win over the Gamecocks in Lexington and Rodriguez was responsible for three of the touchdown scores on only 14 touches. He averaged 10 yards a carry and found the end zone three times during his 139-yard day.

The big game followed a 149-yard, two-touchdown performance versus Vanderbilt. He really shined against those two teams in his career.

Watch him run all over South Carolina again in 2021:

This run versus Georgia

Shame on the internet for not having video of this, but just a few weeks ago Rodriguez carried Georgia’s NFL-like defense on a 15-yard run to spark Kentucky’s 99-yard scoring drive against the Dawgs.

He picked up four yards AFTER this screenshot.

Breaking Iowa tackles to win the Citrus Bowl

And finally, the one that won the Citrus Bowl against Iowa last season. Down three with a minute and change to go, Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson got Kentucky into scoring range and then let C-Rod go to work for the game-winner at the goal line.

Thanks for all of these memories and many more, 24.