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Why the Kentucky Wildcats are self-assured Chris Rodriguez’s return from suspension will increase offense

What transpired when Chris Rodriguez last touched the ball while wearing a Wildcats uniform may serve as the best example of what the star running back for Kentucky football hopes to bring to the team when he returns from a four-game suspension on Saturday.

With 1:54 left in the Citrus Bowl and Kentucky down four points, quarterback Will Levis misread a play and passed the ball to Rodriguez rather than keeping it for himself. This put Kentucky in a first-and-goal situation from the 6-yard line.

An Iowa defender nearly immediately confronted Rodriguez in the backfield, but he sidestepped the tackle and went on to outrun another player at the goal line to score the game-winning touchdown.

Levis stated on Tuesday, “It’s very rare that he doesn’t break the first one or make the first one miss.” “It can be a good play, possibly even the winning play, with a guy like that when you’re in circumstances like that where you think the play might be broken. All we need to do is get the ball into his hands as soon as we can.

Rodriguez is going back to a different offense than the one Kentucky ran in the Citrus Bowl. To spare Levis from needless hits, new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello has avoided planned quarterback runs.

In the meantime, Levis is living up to the hype as a predicted first-round selection in the NFL Draft. With three big-play threats at wide receiver and a plethora of effective tight ends, Levis is averaging just under 300 passing yards per game, up 75 yards per game from the previous season.

During Rodriguez’s four games out of the lineup, Kentucky’s rushing attack has not performed well; in terms of rushing yards per game (81.5), they rank 123rd out of 131 teams in the nation.

While the other running backs may not have Rodriguez’s ability to break plays through tackles and run for large gains, blocking problems along a reconstructed offensive line have been common and may not be resolved by Rodriguez’s return on its own.

“Chris simply needs to be himself,” stated UK Coach Mark Stoops. “He doesn’t have to intervene and save our run game, save our savior, or do any of that. We just need him to be himself; we don’t need him to worry about that. Additionally, we depend on the players surrounding him to perform their duties, put in effort, and perform better in specific situations.

Although Levis and Rodriguez’s other teammates expressed confidence that the running back for the Wildcats won’t overwork himself in an attempt to improve his run game or make up lost time, he will not have the luxury of easing into action against weaker opponents because he missed the September games.

Rodriguez makes his debut against No. 14 Ole Miss in a ranked game. While some rust is to be expected, Rodriguez’s performance in Oxford could have a significant impact on Kentucky’s future aspirations for a more balanced offensive attack.