Why Kentucky football's Chris Rodriguez is 'past' his 4-game absence, not yet up to speed

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LEXINGTON — It had been 10 months since Chris Rodriguez took his last legit hit, and though the Kentucky football running back is best known for dishing out contact, he felt the layoff the first time he took some.

Rodriguez played his first game of the season Saturday, a 22-19 UK loss at Ole Miss, and though he’d been practicing with the team, that was at less than full contact, with a pad on his helmet to deaden impact.

“That first hit, I was just like, ‘God bless,’” Rodriguez said Tuesday in his first media session of the season. “I forgot what it felt like to get hit. But as a running back, with my play style, I couldn’t wait to feel that again. When I felt it, I was like ‘Woah.’”

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UK hasn’t said why Rodriguez was unavailable to play in its first four games.

Sports Illustrated reported that he was part of a multiplayer NCAA eligibility inquiry at the school, but Wildcats coach Mark Stoops — citing privacy — has not confirmed that report, nor has he indicated that Rodriguez was suspended.

Kentucky requested and was granted reinstatement for athletes who violated NCAA rules when they “received compensation for work not performed,” according to the reinstatement request letter. UK has not confirmed whether the athletes involved played football.

In May, Rodriguez was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and careless driving. On July 5, he pled guilty at a pretrial hearing to operating a motor vehicle under the influence. Stoops has not said if Rodriguez’s absence was tied to — or exclusively tied to — the arrest.

Sitting out the Wildcats’ first four games was “hard,” Rodriguez said, but he’s “past it.”

His impact was apparent Saturday, even in a loss for 13th-ranked Kentucky.

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Rodriguez wasn’t a cure-all for a running game that ranks 124th out of 131 FBS teams in rushing yards (86.8 per game). But he ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and picked up some of the tough yards UK (4-1, 1-1 SEC) had struggled to find in his absence.

In time, he could give an even bigger boost to Kentucky’s struggling running game. It’s key, UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said Tuesday, to get some stronger first-down runs to set up shorter second downs and more manageable thirds.

“Third-down-and-2 versus third-down-and-5 is a big difference, and that's what makes you better,” Scangarello said. “That’s what he can do for you.”

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Rodriguez also had 40 receiving yards on three catches, one short of his career high. Rodriguez entered the season with 18 receptions in 31 career games.

“I think he's a really good pass-catcher and he was kind of underrated probably when I got here,” UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said Tuesday. "I’ve known that about him. I thought he did a nice job in the pass game, catching some balls. Has a good feel, been doing some good stuff.”

Kentucky — which hosts South Carolina on Saturday — has to hope he gradually can do more of it.

Rodriguez conceded the first hit he took wasn’t the only shock to his system. Though he’s practiced and conditioned with the Cats during his time away from games, game readiness is different.

In time, he’ll likely get his game legs under him. But it’s an ongoing process.

“You know, I've done a lot of training,” Rodriguez said. “But I just knew that once that first game came around for me, it was nothing that I could do to prepare for that moment.”

Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brett Dawson and bdawson@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @BDawsonWrites.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football: RB Chris Rodriguez still getting up to speed