Vols expecting much better running game

"We definitely need the running game to win games," senior tailback Tauren Poole said. "We can't rely only on Tyler's little bitty arm to throw the ball every single play, even though he's talented enough. We're going to need to run the football." Last year the Vols were the SEC's worst rushing team. They averaged less than 2 yards per attempt in eight league games. Though the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Poole was one of just six players in the league to break the 1,000-yard mark and had solid games against Oregon (162 yards), LSU (109) and Alabama (117), he had his struggles. He rushed for a combined 96 yards in losses to Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. "Tauren is everything that you want in a player from his drive to be his best," UT coach Derek Dooley said. "I wish we had 100 Tauren Pooles,because of his commitment to the program and how he represents Tennessee. "He's got good size and speed for his position. He was inconsistent last year, [but] he was productive as a whole. He had some games where he was remarkable. He had other games where it was hard on him. I think a lot of things go into that. It was his first year playing. He wants to do well so bad; he wants to perform so well. It took him a while to get settled into the position."