Ka’Deem Carey was the nation’s leading rusher last season. Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
Arizona Wildcats running back Ka’Deem Carey will have one fewer game to match last season’s NCAA-leading total of 1,929 rushing yards.
Carey, a junior and returning consensus All-American, will not play tonight in the team’s season-opener against visiting NAU, per team policy, the university announced before kickoff. The discipline likely stems from a pair of off-field incidents in the off-season.
Carey had faced misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges stemming from a domestic violence incident in December with his pregnant ex-girlfriend. The charges were dropped in June, and he and his girlfriend have reconciled. Carey also was kicked out of a UA basketball game in January after a verbal confrontation with event staff and local police.
Coach Rich Rodriguez had been mum about possible playing-time punishment for Carey earlier this week. He has said that Carey had been meeting all his internal benchmarks after the incidents.
“Ka’Deem is a good guy who made a couple of bad decisions,” Rodriguez said a couple of weeks ago.
“If he was a bad guy, he wouldn’t be with us. I love coaching him. He’s a good teammate. He’s a good guy that I think will represent us well.”
Senior Daniel Jenkins is expected to start at running back for Arizona, backed by speedy sophomore Jared Baker.
Related: Ka’Deem Carey humble and hungry after rough offseason