Liam Coen (UK Athletics Photo)
Not only did Chris Rodriguez not start the game against Chattanooga, but the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher got only 46 yards on 13 carries, both season lows. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen said after the 28-23 win over Chattanooga that he wanted to rest Rodriguez after the physical win over Missouri a week earlier when he gained 206 yards on 27 carries.
He still leads the SEC with 377 yards on 59 runs, an average of 6.4 yards per carry, but Monday head coach Mark Stoops had a different explanation for why Rodriguez did not run more against Chattanooga.
“There was nothing about taking it easy on Chris. It was simply working on us and throwing the ball,” Stoops said. “When we were in our quick game and spreading them out, we were nine of 10.
“The only one we didn’t convert was late in the game and it was on a third down and Will (Levis) should have stayed to the front side where he was looking, he had his Isaiah (Epps) for a first down and went back late to the field to Wan’Dale (Robinson) and it was incomplete. Otherwise, we are 10 and 10, spreading them out and going quick game.”
Okay. Sounds good. But isn’t the power run game with Rodriguez going behind the Big Blue Wall what Kentucky football is all about, especially against an outmanned opponent?
“Again, we’re just being honest, it happens. During the game when you only have 20 plays in the second half, nothing is what you want it to be, right? There’s just not enough snaps and that’s our fault,” Stoops said.
“We had a couple of conversions that we didn’t make and fell a little bit short and again the defense was … you know, we had all of those three-and-outs in the first half, in the second half we didn’t have one.
“Then the pick-six (by Tyrell Ajian) takes a whole lost possession for the offense and the defense we go out and give it up again. I didn’t add the time of possession together on those two drives. I would imagine, they were significant.”
Not sure blaming a 95-yard interception return that secured the win for Kentucky is the right way to justify Rodriguez getting less carries. Just saying ….
However, Stoops was right when he said Coen was probably too hard on himself after the game and second-guessing himself too much.
“You got to realize you can’t give you guys (in the media) all of those nuggets. I don’t mean this in any way to undermine what you all do, because I appreciate you. But, you can’t do that because when you want to use it against him you will. True or not true?” Stoops said.
“Believe me, I bite my tongue. You can tell I try to be honest with you, with the way I talk, with what we say, with frustration, and being honest without giving you all those nuggets. He will learn that. Sooner or later you guys are going to pull those words out and run him over with a bus.”
2 Responses
Stoops us correct in his assessment but I think Coen was correct in his honesty. He took the opponent for granted. He hasn’t been an Offensive Coordinator very long and he got caught in the trap of believing his own stuff. It happens. Now, I don’t think the media will pull that quote out somewhere down the road and run the bus over him with it (in Stoops words) but that’s just my opinion. I do think the local media is generally fair in their assessments for the most part. They call a spade, a spade which is as it should be.
Not starting C Rod against the Mocs was a mistake. It almost got UK beat. The more carries he gets the better UK looks. Stupid decision IMO unless the big RB was not able to go. That was not the case as I hear it. UK can still throw the football with him in the backfield. They have already proven that this year.