Kentucky does not need Chris Rodriguez to be a Hero

Chris Rodriguez is very good at the game of football. We’ve seen it for two+ seasons (particularly that one where he didn’t get tackled behind the line of scrimmage until the Gator Bowl). Few running backs have his elite combination of power and explosiveness. On Saturday we will get to see that on display for the first time in the 2022 season. No. 24’s return is coming at the right time.

Without Chris Rodriguez Kentucky ranks last in the SEC in yards per carry (2.41) and second-to-last in rushing yards per game (81.5). A year ago Rodriguez averaged 6.1 yards per carry and surpassed 100 yards on the ground in nine of 13 games. He can instantly change the perception of Kentucky’s rushing attack, but Mark Stoops doesn’t want him to play hero-ball against Ole Miss, the No. 14 team in America.

“Chris, he just needs to be himself. He doesn’t need to come in and be our Savior or anything like that or ‘save our run game,’ any of that,” Mark Stoops said Monday. “We don’t need to him to worry about that. We just need him to be him. And we need the people around him, the other guys that are playing, to do their job, strain and to do things better in certain moments.”

Rodriguez was suspended for the first four games of the 2022 season. Although sidelined from game action, he’s been active participant in practices and offseason workouts. He logged snaps on scout team until they learned he would be available for the Ole Miss game. He’s since been rotating in with the second-team huddle and is listed as an “OR” as RB1 on this week’s depth chart.

“A couple of the runs he’s made in just a couple of the periods a week we do against the defense, he’s made some awesome runs,” quarterback Will Levis said after Saturday night’s win over NIU. “We joked when he was in the two-huddle for one of the plays, ‘We got the best two-huddle running back in the country right now.'”

Chris Rodriguez could be the Savior of the Running Game

Even though Mark Stoops doesn’t need to Chris Rodriguez to be a hero, his ability alone can erase early season mistakes in the run game. As Levis said Saturday, he sees holes before they develop. Even if the offensive line is not opening up lanes to drive a car through, he can anticipate an avenue to gain positive yards.

Rodriguez’s ability to break tackles sets him apart from his peers. He can turn a 2-yard run into six, making third down more manageable and building confidence in his blockers. It was most apparent the last time we saw him run the ball in a Kentucky uniform. On the verge of being tackled for a loss of five, he shook off an Iowa defender and rushed into the end zone.

The last time Chris Rodriguez carried the football for Kentucky: pic.twitter.com/0paodWiEYu

— TheCatsPause247 (@TheCatsPause247) September 25, 2022

This play was less memorable, but do you see anywhere to run? No. He was stopped dead in his tracks but kept moving forward to move the sticks.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. went beast mode 😳 pic.twitter.com/8IJJsGumOA

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 4, 2021

Why Kentucky doesn’t Need Rodriguez to Win

While the return of Chris Rodriguez will dramatically enhance the running game, this isn’t the same Kentucky football team we’ve grown to love under Mark Stoops. The Cats once were defined by a physical rushing attack. It was the strength of the offense. Thanks to recruiting, particularly in the transfer portal, the strength of the offense is now Will Levis and the Wildcats’ explosive passing attack.

“You’ve got to be who you are and right now we have a very talented quarterback,” Stoops said Saturday night. “We have some explosive wide receivers, so we’re creating some big plays.”

Kentucky used to run to set up the pass. Now the Wildcats can run the ball to sucker in the defense and create explosive plays through the air.