Chris Rodriguez describes the feeling of being back on the field

Kentucky got one of its major pieces back on offense after a series of off-field setbacks dating back to the offseason for Chris Rodriguez. His first start of the season came Saturday against Ole Miss, and although the Wildcats lost, it served as a starting point for his senior year.

During a recent press conference, Chris Rodriguez broke down the feelings of his return after such a long road which featured many turns.

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“It felt great,” said Rodriguez. “It just felt great to get back out there, knock the rust off a little bit. But now I’m ready.”

In his first game back, Rodriguez finished with 72 yards and a touchdown. While he did break out for a monster game, he will get plenty more chances to impress over the next several weeks of SEC play.

“That first hit, I was just like, ‘God bless,’” said Rodriguez. “I forgot what it felt like to get hit. As a running back with my play style, I like it. I couldn’t wait to feel that again and when I felt it, I was like, ‘woah.’ But it is what it is.”

Mark Stoops evaluates Chris Rodriguez return

Mark Stoops weighed in on the season debut of Chris Rodriguez after the loss against Ole Miss, breaking down what he saw from his star offensive player.

“Chris Rodriguez had his first game. Thought it was good. I think late in the game, I felt like, you know, his legs were a little bit — he was a little winded I guess. Or not in game shape, you know. You could run all the hills you want, run it, run sprints. Until you get in there and get in the games, with the energy and amped up and all that — just getting a feel for it was good. And he responded well, you know. He handled it.”

Stoops also explained that adding a weapon like Rodriguez in the running back room required some adjustments from new UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, who had slowly been focusing the offense around the passing game, given the talent at quarterback and little production out of the RB room to date.

“It’s a kind of an adjustment period too for Rich just to know… right here, we got this guy, here’s how we can use him in the right spots. I think he knows that he’s, you know, watched a ton of film. And we had them all spring, all summer. And when things were unknown, you know, I mean, we’ve been working with them. So, it was obvious having him against Ole Miss gave a better shot to win that game.”