Mark Stoops does not want to overthink fumbling issues but wants Chris Rodriguez to get problem fixed now

Chris Rodriguez leads UK in rushing — and fumbles. (UK Athletics Photo)

It was not a mistake that was going to keep Kentucky from beating New Mexico State but the same mistake this week against Louisville could cost the Cats a victory. Chris Rodriguez, UK’s leading rusher the last two years, fumbled again inside the 5-yard line in what turned out to be a 56-16 victory. But the mistake irked Kentucky coach Mark Stoops and he was still not happy Monday.

” I am not going to overthink it because I know Chris and he’s mature enough to understand,” Stoops said.

The UK head coach said he expected offensive coordinator Liam Coen and running backs coach John Settle to help Rodriguez get what has been a season-long fumbling issue fixed.

“We’ll get it corrected and he’ll be dialed in. I can promise you that. He’ll get it fixed. He has, by and large for the most part, once we got through some of that early in the season,” Stoops said. “It’s very important but you hope it evens out at some point in time, too.”

Defenses have got more sophisticated at punching/grabbing the football to force a turnover instead of always immediately just trying for the tackle. Stoops says that’s no excuse for fumbling.

“It still doesn’t change. I think there’s a time when you can punch and strip or try to do both and there’s a time when we’re still coaching it like, ‘Get the man down. Don’t try to strip and give up six or seven extra yards.’ There’s a time and a place for it,” Stoops said.

“We all coach the punch, the strip, but like I tell the players, there are so many different situations. You can’t possibly teach them every one of them. They have to have some football IQ to understand when that time and place is. Now, there are players that hold the ball loose at certain times and we do address that and talk about that.

“As we tell our offensive players when you’re putting the ball on the ground, what do you think every opponent is telling them? Every opponent is sitting there talking about how they’re loose with the ball. So, we had better get it coached up and they have to get it fixed. They have to execute it.”