Dawne Perkins

Willie Rodriguez has a sister who cannot speak. Gabby is 19. She has Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that primarily affects girls. She cannot talk. She needs help with nearly everything from the moment she wakes up. But there is one thing she does every single time, and their mother can tell you exactly what it is. "She will look at Willie and just smile if he's in his uniform." Saturday he wore that uniform in Norman, Oklahoma, and caught both of Kentucky's touchdowns. Here is the whole thing. There are eight people in that family. At home Willie helps Gabby eat. He takes her on walks. He helps her get ready for bed. She cannot tell anybody what she is feeling. So they read her instead. A smile. A sound from the stands. That is the conversation. She knows when the family is walking into a stadium. Sometimes you can hear her from the stands. Their mother says Gabby has taught all of them things that cannot be taught any other way. Now go back a generation. Willie's father and his grandparents left Cuba and came to this country more than forty years ago. He grew up in northern Kentucky and went to Covington Catholic. He used to speak Spanish. "I used to be fluent when I was little. Kind of hard to keep it up." Here is how his high school coach described him. "He's a guy that doesn't say much but when he does something people are listening." And here is what his coordinator at Kentucky, Will Stein, says he does with his free time. "He's a frequent visitor to Golisano Children's at UK" That is the children's hospital. And here is Stein on him as a player. "This guy is an elite player. I think he's got the ability to be one of the best tight ends in the country." Now Saturday. Number 15 Kentucky walked into Norman to play Oklahoma. In the first quarter Rodriguez caught a 2 yard touchdown and Kentucky led 7 to nothing. Then Oklahoma took the lead. With 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Kenny Minchey threw him a 12 yard touchdown and Kentucky went back in front 14 to 13. It held. Kentucky won 21 to 13. Now the honest part. Five catches for 38 yards is not a monster afternoon, and Kentucky's defense is most of the reason that scoreboard reads the way it does. Jordan Castell took an interception 41 yards the other way late to put it away. But Kentucky's offense reached the end zone exactly twice in Norman all day. The same guy caught both of them. "My family inspires me to play with that chip on your shoulder." He has been playing for her since high school. The uniform changed. What she does when she sees it did not.