Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez Jr. Earns Pair of Honors
Chris Rodriguez Jr. on Saturday rumbled his way to a pair of honors, turning in a career-best performance as Kentucky defeated Missouri, 35-28, at Kroger Field.
The College Football Performance Awards named Rodriguez honorable mention National Performer of the Week, and the running back also was named On3’s Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Rodriguez delivered career highs in carries (27) and rushing yards (206) while tying a career-high with three rushing touchdowns. He also added a short touchdown catch to tie the school record for total touchdowns in a game with four.
Rodriguez, a junior from McDonough, Georgia, plowed his way through the Missouri defense behind the powerful blocking of the “Big Blue Wall” and became the first UK player to rush for 200 or more yards since Lynn Bowden Jr. in the Belk Bowl win over Virginia Tech on Dec. 31, 2019. Despite a fumble into the end zone that would have given him another touchdown, Rodriguez responded in a big way and ripped off a huge run to open the second half as the Cats regained momentum.
Through two games, Rodriguez ranks second nationally in total rushing yards (331), rushing yards per game (165.5) and total touchdowns (5). He has moved up 11 spots to 16th on Kentucky’s career rushing list with 1,692 yards. He now has 21 rushing touchdowns in his career and ranks one score behind Benny Snell Jr. on the consecutive games with a rushing touchdown with five.
He is currently on both the Maxwell Award Watch List for the nation’s top college football player and the Doak Walker Award Watch List for the nation’s top running back.
Kentucky next plays host to Chattanooga at noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Kroger Field. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
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Kentucky’s third straight home game will serve as Family Weekend. Hosted by the UK Parent & Family Association, Family Weekend welcomes families of UK students to campus for a weekend full of fall activities. For more information about Family Weekend, visit uky.edu/FamilyWeekend.
As part of Teacher Appreciation Day at Kroger Field, UK will participate in the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers Week. Extra Yard for Teachers elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers through the implementation of programs in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development.
All teachers, in addition to University of Kentucky faculty & staff, will be able to purchase specially-priced tickets to Kentucky football’s game vs. Chattanooga. Go to this link for tickets >> https://fevo.me/eyft2021
Purchases will be restricted to those with Kentucky public school email address domains (“@COUNTY.kyschools.us”). University of Kentucky faculty & staff purchases will be restricted to those with a UK email address (“@uky.edu”). For questions, or to add your school or school district’s email domain to the list of eligible purchasers, contact Ben Boaz at Ben.Boaz@uky.edu or (800) 928-2287 (Option 1).
Fans can also visit UKFootballTix.com?for great deals on tickets and more information. Prefer to speak with an expert? Fans may work together with a personal ticketing consultant to compare and purchase available seat locations by requesting a call or by contacting the UK Sales Office at (800) 928-2287 (Option 1).?
