UT's philosophy simple: Let Arian Foster touch the ball

Variety of skills makes senior an all-around threat

KNOXVILLE -- Whether it's in the classroom studying Plato and Aristotle or in the film room studying an opposing defense, Arian Foster doesn't just want to know what.

He wants to know why.

That simple question -- and all the answers that come with it -- is one of the reasons the senior has become one of the most versatile tailbacks in Tennessee history.

"I don't know where it comes from," Foster said. "I'm a philosophy major, so I like to critique everything and analyze everything and just kind of know everything. I think it gives you a better understanding of why you're doing what you're doing instead of just what you're doing."

All Foster did in 2007 was prove his versatility in a big way.

His 1,650 total yards last season rank behind only Reggie Cobb's 1987 total of 1,721 in school history.

Though it's probably no secret by now that Foster needs 684 yards to pass Travis Henry as the Vols' all-time leading rusher, but he'll move into fourth place on UT's career all-purpose yardage list with just 33 yards in tonight's season-opener at UCLA.

And Foster's 576 career yards receiving, 340 of which came last season, is tops among the seven other tailbacks in UT's top 15 for all-purpose yardage.

That versatility as a rusher, receiver and blocker is a source of pride for Foster.

"I've made it a major point to make all the facets of my game as good as I can possibly make them," he said. "Just become a complete back and play this game the way it's supposed to be played."

Tennessee running backs coach Stan Drayton knew about Foster's versatility from his time as Florida's running backs coach. What he didn't realize until he arrived in Knoxville this offseason is how much Foster knows about the game.

"The thing that impresses me the most is how smart he is, how smart of a football player he is," Drayton said. "Most players get out there and his body either has to take him through it to learn it or he has to visually see it to learn it."

Not Foster.

He can handle the what; he wants to know the why. And his desire to understand UT's offense doesn't stop with his position or even his side of the ball, Drayton says.

"He learns like a football coach," Drayton said. "He needs to know exactly what the receivers are doing, who they're blocking. He needs to know what the offensive line is doing. He needs to understand what the coordinator is thinking when he calls the play. Once he has all that, he's good to go."

Foster, who has played for three different offensive coordinators in his five years at UT, doesn't know any other way to approach it.

"I try to pride myself in knowing the game, the game's ins and outs, knowing the chess match that's going on, knowing why they're calling this defense and why they're calling this offense," Foster said. "I think it's imperative."

For UT's coaches, it's invaluable.

Drayton says because of Foster's knowledge of the game, his tailback can provide a view they don't get from the press box or sideline.

"You've got a player out there who sees it all and understands it and can come back and give you some good information as to what's going on out there," Drayton said. "You can make the adjustment and keep the pace rolling. That's a huge advantage to me, and I've had that only one other time in my career and that was with (Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl running back) Brian Westbrook (at Villanova). He was cerebral like that."

Drayton, who spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers, said once NFL scouts pick up on those qualities, Foster will be "a hot commodity" in next year's draft.

Still, there's one situation where Foster won't ask questions.

If a play doesn't work, don't expect Foster grab the phone from the sideline to the press box or corner a coach on the sideline about the choice of plays.

"I've never done that," Foster said, laughing. "It's a chess match, and we're pawns, rooks and knights. We have to execute the play that's called and trust our coaching staff. That's why they get paid the money they get paid."