‘This guy is everything.’ Where the return of Chris Rodriguez helps Kentucky football most.

Chris Rodriguez has built his reputation at Kentucky with a bone-crushing running style that relishes contact, refusing to go down on first hit.

But after serving a four-game suspension, even Rodriguez was a little surprised by the thump delivered on his first run of the season Saturday at Ole Miss.

“I haven’t had (the helmet protector) off since Iowa in the bowl game,” Rodriguez said Tuesday in his first interview since spring practice. “That first hit, I was just like, God bless. I forgot what it felt like to get hit.

“As a running back, my play style, I like it. I couldn’t wait to feel that again.”

Rodriguez’s coaches and teammates certainly were eager to reinsert his physicality into the lineup.

Multiple times at Ole Miss, Rodriguez turned what would have been a short gain into a productive run to keep a drive on schedule. He scored his first touchdown on a 10-yard carry, marking just the second touchdown from a Kentucky running back this season.

Rodriguez backed up spring promises to become more of a factor in the passing game. He finished the afternoon with 19 carries for 72 yards and three catches for 42 yards.

“It was exciting,” offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said. “The guy is everything. I knew what he was, but to see it live and just watch his presence, he’s one of those physical guys. Has great feel. I think he’s a really good pass catcher. … Just overall, really like his demeanor and everything about him.”

While Rodriguez was able to practice with Kentucky during his suspension, he and UK Coach Mark Stoops have acknowledged fatigue was an issue in his first game of the season.

After rushing for 45 yards on nine carries in the first half, he totaled 27 yards on 10 carries in the second half.

“I’ve done a lot of training, but I just knew once that first game came around for me there was nothing I could do to prepare for the moment,” Rodriguez said.

With some of the rust shaken off, Rodriguez figures to be even more of a factor moving forward.

One area he could be particularly helpful for the Wildcats is in the red zone, where he converted his Ole Miss touchdown two plays after Barion Brown gave the offense a short field with an 85-yard kickoff return.

Kentucky ranks 97th nationally in percentage of red zone opportunities converted into touchdowns (54.6). Of Kentucky’s 12 touchdowns in 22 red zone opportunities, only four have been scored on the ground. Two of the rushing touchdowns were 1-yard quarterback sneaks from quarterback Will Levis.

Scangarello downplayed the red zone statistics, noting in non-conference games where the outcome was settled he was intentionally trying to keep plays they might use in future red zone opportunities against SEC foes off film. No future foes will be surprised by a handoff to Rodriguez in the red zone, but the Wildcats star running back can still thrive in those situations (assuming his fumbling problem from last season does not return).

“It’s different,” tight ends coach Vince Marrow said. “Just like when you had Wan’Dale (Robinson), when you had Lynn Bowden. Chris is in that same thing. Everybody from the staff, probably even the administration, just felt comfortable having him back.”

Rodriguez appeared to do a good job of playing within himself in his return despite weeks of speculation about his suspension and the impact he would have when returning.

Citing student privacy laws, Kentucky has declined to provide specifics about why Rodriguez was held out of the first four games. Stoops has even hesitated to use the word suspension to describe Rodriguez’s situation.

In September, the Herald-Leader reported UK launched an investigation in February into members of the football team filing inaccurate timecards for jobs worked at the university hospital, according to documents obtained through the state’s open records law. That investigation determined multiple members of the team listed hours worked that they were not present at the hospital for when video surveillance showed them leaving the facility or there was a conflict with class or game schedules. Players, whose names were redacted from a letter sent to the NCAA and provided to the Herald-Leader, were declared ineligible.

Stoops did tell reporters before the season opener that Rodriguez and outside linebacker Jordan Wright were among the players being held out due to an off-field issue. UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart confirmed to the Herald-Leader there had been an investigation into Rodriguez’s eligibility. Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in July.

With the suspension behind him, Rodriguez is focused fully on football again. Kentucky will certainly need that as it looks to bounce back from a frustrating Ole Miss loss to remain a contender in the SEC East race.

“It was hard, but I’m past it,” Rodriguez said. “I’m out here with the team now. … I’m ready for it.”

South Carolina at No. 13 Kentucky

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: South Carolina 3-2 (0-2 SEC), Kentucky 4-1 (1-1)

Series: South Carolina leads 18-14-1

Last meeting: Kentucky won 16-10 on Sept. 25, 2021, in Columbia, S.C.

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