In his first game back from injury, Prechae Rodriguez has already proven his value to the Pittsburgh Power offense. With his performance in Pittsburgh’s 62-61 victory over Orlando on the road, Rodriguez has been named the Arena Football League’s Week 11 Most Valuable Player.
Rodriguez caught 13 passes on Saturday for 148 yards and 4 touchdowns. His first score tied a franchise record for longest pass in Power history on a 47-yard bomb from Tommy Grady.
Despite only seeing action in three games because of a high ankle sprain, Rodriguez has been a dominant force on the turf when he’s been able to play. He averages over 10 receptions per game and has amassed 344 yards. His 11 touchdown receptions are good for third on the team behind Shaun Kauleinamoku’s 13 and Aaron Lesue’s 12.
Rodriguez is in his third season in the Arena Football League. As a rookie with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2012, Rodriguez caught 125 passes for 1,653 yards and 32 touchdowns. He followed up that performance in his sophomore season by hauling in 119 passes for 1,578 and 40 touchdowns with the Orlando Predators.
Rodriguez becomes the first Power player to be named as a weekly MVP in 2014. He beat out Arizona wide receiver Kerry Reed and Portland wide receiver Jeffrey Solomon for the honor.
Rodriguez and the Power (7-3) take on the undefeated Cleveland Gladiators (9-0) this Saturday at CONSOL Energy Center. In Week 1 against the Gladiators, Rodriguez pulled in 9 passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Kickoff for Saturday’s rivalry game is slated for 5:00 p.m.
