Can Ole Miss Slow Down Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr?

Here, we examine Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez Jr.

For the Ole Miss Rebels to knock off Kentucky at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Oct. 1, the key to the matchup will most likely be slowing down future NFL running back Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Here’s a closer look at the 5-11, 225-pound senior that played his prep football for McDonough (Ga.) Ola.

Did You Know?

Rodriguez needs 1,134 yards to break Kentucky’s all-time rushing mark of 3,873 held by Benny Snell, Jr. (2016-2018).

2021 Rushing Statistics

1,379 yards, 6.1 average, and nine touchdowns.

The Wildcats, as a team, averaged 199.5 yards per game on the ground. For the 2021 season, Rodriguez averaged 108.1 yards rushing per contest. That’s 54.2% of Kentucky’s rushing totals being attributed to Rodriguez.

Last season, Rodriguez went off against LSU with 16 carries, 147 yards and a touchdown / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Just from SEC competition, his 141 carries, 861 yards, 6.1 average and five touchdowns prove to be elite. Just from SEC rushing yards, he is just ahead of Alabama’s Brian Robinson, Jr. and second to Missouri’s Tyler Badie.

Top SEC Running Back Comparison

Last season, Badie led Missouri with 268 carries, 1,604 yards, 6.1 average, and 14 scores. Badie’s SEC rushing totals, however, were spectacular by themselves.

199 carries, 1,039 yards, 5.2 average, and six touchdowns. Badie was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

There’s no taking away from Badie’s performance; he carried the Missouri offense for much of the 2022 season. Rodriguez helped Kentucky at a similar level and he has one more year to tote the football for the Wildcats.

The third best SEC running back (regular season SEC statistics only) would be Brian Robinson also produced a fantastic season for the Crimson Tide with 176 attempts, 787 yards, 4.5 average, and 11 touchdowns.

Prime Time Performer

From 13 games, Rodriquez eclipsed the 100 yard rushing barrier nine times, and he also ran for 99 yards during the Wildcats 20-13 upset victory over the Gators.

His best statistical game came against a porous Missouri defense, ripping the Tigers for 27 carries, 207 yards, 7.7 average, and two touchdowns. Further, Rodriguez scored two first quarter touchdowns – the first receiving and the second rushing – before Mizzou even made it on the scoreboard. That’s not the only key performance from Rodriguez.

When it was time for the Kentucky offense to play a stout Iowa rush defense that allowed just 114.4 yards per game, Rodriguez came to play once again. That was this past season’s Citrus Bowl where Rodriguez carried 20 times for 107 yards, a 5.4 average, and one rushing touchdown.

He also added a reception for a five-yard score. Kentucky escaped with a 20-17 win over Iowa. The Wildcats possessed the football for 37:54 during the contest, with Rodriguez being the focal point of the offense from beginning to end.

Finishing off the 2021 season with a top-notch performance like the one Rodriguez displayed against Iowa deserves high praise.

Consistency

The only teams to slow down Rodriguez during the 2021 season were Georgia and Mississippi State, the No. 2 and No. 12 rushing defenses in the country. Besides those two teams, no other defense that Rodriguez stayed in the entire game held him below the 99 yards that Florida held him to.

Rodriguez led the Wildcats to a 20-13 victory over Florida :: Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rodriguez rushed for at least 107 yards in each of Kentucky’s last five games. During that stretch, he accumulated 90 attempts, 570 yards, 6.3 average, and four touchdowns.

Seeing that high level of production during the last month of the regular season and during a bowl game displays just how durable this young man is.

Pass Receiving

Thirteen receptions, 61 yards, 4.7 average, and three touchdowns. While Rodriguez is a runner first, do not discount him out of the backfield either. He might see more passes come his way this fall, too.

Can Ole Miss Slow Down Rodriguez?

Head coach Lane Kiffin is a talented and accomplished offensive mind. Of that there is no doubt. He now needs his defensive staff to come up with a variety of ways to be better against the run this fall so that his offense gets the ball back faster and in better field position.

Ole Miss allowed a woeful 190.4 yards rushing last season, with teams often playing keep away from the Ole Miss offense by way of running the football. Against Rodriguez and the Wildcats, there needs to be substantial improvement, or he will run all over the Rebels.

Better run fits, better mental toughness, better overall tackling are all needed, just as starters.

Beyond that, it’s going to be up to the Ole Miss coaching staff to be quite creative with formations and pressures. Very few teams can just line up and overwhelm Kentucky’s offensive line. The Wildcats return two starters up front, and one can be assured that head coach Mark Stoops will help to prepare his offensive line to be a physical run blocking unit once again.

If the Rebels can keep Rodriguez to roughly 80 to 100 yards, the chances of victory will certainly increase. If he goes off for 120, maybe even 140 or more yards rushing, Ole Miss will be in trouble.

Kentucky’s Rodriguez is one of the best players Ole Miss will face this next season.

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