Interview with Arian

[orange+white=heaven]

The tfp's Gentry Estes has a piece on Arian this morning. There are some other bits as well today...

tfpOnline: Fall Of Frustration

In the display window of University of Tennessee’s bookstore on a cluttered campus meeting ground known as "The Strip," hangs one solitary, orange football jersey: No. 27. For now, that number belongs to the Volunteers’ third-string running back, and its presence is a glaring reminder of a 2006 gone wrong for Foster.

"Just one of those years," UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said. "It didn’t work out in his favor."

"At times," Foster said, "it got real frustrating."

Foster closed the regular season with 257 yards on 79 attempts. It was a steep drop from the previous year, which finished with Foster becoming the first UT running back in 16 years to top 100 rushing yards in his first five starts.

...he suffered a high ankle sprain against Air Force that essentially knocked him off the field for three weeks.

"Really, I still feel it a little bit right now, but the whole season, I was never 100 percent," Foster said. "I could feel it in every cut I made. It was killing me. It hindered my running ability, so I feel like that made my season not what I wanted it to be."

Although Foster showed flashes — he had three scores at Georgia and a game-winning touchdown dive against Alabama — the numbers weren’t there. Neither were the carries, especially when Coker returned from a knee injury and picked up where he left off, totaling 216 yards in the final two games.

Foster’s contribution dwindled in the final three weeks to a total of five carries for minus-5 yards.

"Late in the season, he was feeling the pressure of every time he got the ball, he had to make something big happen so he could stay in the game," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said of Foster. "That’s not a good way to play football, and consequently, he ended up making some bad things happen or nothing."

Foster’s side now is that he’s not quitting. There is no position change in store: "I’m not playing fullback." He’s not a risk to transfer: "I’m not going anywhere. I love the atmosphere here."

Coker’s current status for the Outback Bowl against Penn State appears shaky since he didn’t practice Wednesday and remains on suspension. Fulmer said he expects Coker to make the trip.

"I anticipate him getting done what he’s supposed to get done," Fulmer said of Coker. "He’s still got some time to do that."

Tennessean:Notes

Offensive lineman Cody Pope, who was sent home in August because of an NCAA Clearinghouse problem, said Wednesday that he has received a qualifying standardized test score and plans to re-enroll at Tennessee in January.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Pope will have four years of eligibility. He also will be able to go through spring practice next year.
"Now that things have worked out, I can honestly say that this has made me a stronger person," Pope said. "I definitely wouldn't want to go through it again. But now when I start my college career, I'm going to be a year older, a year stronger, and I've got a redshirt year if something happens and I need to take it."

Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates was in town Wednesday with his family and spoke to the team.

Happy Holidays!!!

 

[tidwell]

Good to hear about Pope and hopefully Foster can come back strong next season.

 

[JAllen18]

He's going to have to come back strong next year or he will stay 3rd string behind Coker and Hardesty throughout his career.

 

[mattvols]

i think he'll be stuck at 3rd string. Hardesty runs harder and is faster, Coker is just one fast dude, Foster this year, has been a powerback without power.

 

[VolNTX]

Quote:
Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates was in town Wednesday with his family and spoke to the team


I would have loved for that string to end in "spoke to the head coach about the opening for a Special Teams coach"

 

[exotic_vols]

I don't want to see this tackle-for-loss-maker ever playing for UT again. He just makes me sick. 3.5 running back is inferior, but tackle-for-loss running back is unforgivable.

 

[exotic_vols]

Quote:
Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates was in town Wednesday with his family and spoke to the team


I would have loved for that string to end in "spoke to the head coach about the opening for a Special Teams coach"

Me too.

 

[domer]

I don't want to see this tackle-for-loss-maker ever playing for UT again. He just makes me sick. 3.5 running back is inferior, but tackle-for-loss running back is unforgivable.

Foster? Cut him some slack... he was your lone bright spot last year. He'll recoup and work his way back to some PT

 

[JAllen18MVP]

Foster? Cut him some slack... he was your lone bright spot last year. He'll recoup and work his way back to some PT

He also had 2 or 3 surgeries during the offseason. It will be interesting to see what all the RB's can do next year when 100% healthy, cause none of them have been this year.

 

[molsen81]

This same situation presented itself to Travis Stephens being the 3rd RB in rotation. He redshirted so he wouldn't be in the same class as Lewis and Henry. It worked out in his favor, but I believe Foster has already used up his redshirt.

 

[doozer]

Quote:
Former Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates was in town Wednesday with his family and spoke to the team


I would have loved for that string to end in "spoke to the head coach about the opening for a Special Teams coach"

he would have to coach another position as well. the NCAA limits the amount of coaches you can have, therefore most teams, not just Tennessee, don't have a coach whose sole job is special teams.

 

[kptvol]

I don't want to see this tackle-for-loss-maker ever playing for UT again. He just makes me sick. 3.5 running back is inferior, but tackle-for-loss running back is unforgivable.

How quickly everyone forgets the running backs of 2002 and 2003. For some reason, the shortcomings of those seasons were blamed on Casey Clausen, who posted some of the highest single-season passing totals in UT history.