Kentucky Running Back Chris Rodriguez presents "Great Challenge" for Georgia.
The late Vince Dooley was famous for talking up Georgia’s opponents. It always seemed as if the Bulldogs, regardless of how good they were that year, were facing Goliath, no matter the opponent.
Georgia’s current head football coach Kirby Smart isn’t usually as effusive with his praise. He’s just honest. Smart calls it as he sees it for the most part.
That’s why you should take note of the praise he heaped on Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. ahead of Georgia’s game in Lexington. The coach of the defending national champs sounded almost reverent in his description of Rodriguez during his press conference on Monday.
“He seeks and cherishes contact.” Smart said of Rodriguez.
“It’s that time of year where you watch defenses across the country, and people turn down contact. They turn down hits. We make a point to try to show it to our guys that, as the year goes, tackling gets worse, and worse, and worse. Are we going to be bit by that contagious bug of lack of a willingness to thud and tackle people? Especially a guy that loves it. I mean, he seeks it. He wants to hit you.”
The day and age of running backs getting 30+ carries a game is gone for the most part in the sport, but some backs still warrant a large chunk. Rodriguez is one of them. The Georgia-native is averaging 22+ carries a game, and that average was hurt by just 6 carries against Tennessee. After being suspended for the first 4 games of the season, Rodriguez has put up 733 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.
Quarterback Will Levis may be the most highly-touted prospect on the team, but Chris Rodriguez is the best football player. As he goes, Kentucky goes.
“One of the most physical runners I’ve seen. It seems like Kentucky always has that guy. You know? Snell, Bennie Snell was that way. It almost feeds to their personality. You watch it and you’re like “How did he get through that tackle?” and you don’t really know, because he just keeps going when people hit him.” remarked Smart.
It'll be another unique challenge for a Georgia defense that has been answering the bell thus far this season. This one seems more straightforward than some of the others, though. See ball, hit ball.
“Great challenge. Great challenge to be physical with this guy and match his love for contact.”
