Arian Foster
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Arian Foster (born August 24, 1986 in San Diego, California) plays running back for the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA college football tournament. Despite playing in what people call as "Wide Receiver U," Foster has managed to build his reputation as the team's leading rusher with 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground at an average of 4.9 yards per carry and 85.2 rushing yards per game as a junior. Foster has taken much of the load in the Vols' ground game in the absence of teammates Montario Hardesty and LaMarcus Coker and has now amassed a total of 2,308 career yards which is just 770 yards short of the school record established by Travis Henry.
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[edit] High School
Foster attended Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California where he was not only a football athlete but was also part of the school's track and field and basketball teams. In the gridiron, Foster played under coach Dennis Pugh and amassed a county-leading 2,500 all-purpose yards as a senior, with 2,093 of them coming off the ground while also scoring 24 scoring runs and six touchdowns from kickoff returns. That year (2003), he recorded a career-best 321 yards in a game against Clairmont.
[edit] College
Foster chose to attend Tennessee and was part of the 2004 signing class.
[edit] 2004
Redshirted. Foster sat out during his freshman year as Tennessee had utilized Gerald Riggs, Jr. and Cedric Houston in the backfield.
[edit] 2005
Foster finally made it to the team in his second year with the Vols, making five starts in eleven appearances. He made his college career debut against UAB, rushing five times for 23 yards then recorded his first career reception the following week for 9 yards against Florida. He scored his first career touchdown in a win over Mississippi, where he also had 11 carries for 36 yards. His first 100-yard rushing game was against South Carolina (a week after starting RB Riggs was declared out for the season with injury), rushing 25 times for 148 yards and a TD against the Gamecocks. He recorded five straight 100-yard games, including a career-game against Vanderbilt where he had 40 carries for 223 yards and two touchdowns (all career-best) while also catching 4 passes for 45 yards. His 268 all-purpose yards against the Commodores was a third-best mark in school history. He finished the regular season with career numbers in receptions (5) with a career-long 39-yard reception against Kentucky. He finished the year as the team's leading rusher with 879 yards (5th best among freshmen in school history), 742 of which came after taking over the starting spot during the midseason. He was also acknowledged as a second-team Freshman All-America and received first-team Freshman All-SEC honors.
[edit] 2006
After a breakthrough freshman year, Foster came up short of matching his phenomenal freshman outing as he made only 4 starts in 11 games. He made his season debut against California, carrying the pigskin a season high 17 times for 69 yards in a win over the Bears. The following week, he managed only 7 carries for 22 yards against Air Force after suffering an injury. The following week, he only had 2 carries for 2 yards in a loss to Florida. After missing a couple of games due to injury, he returned against Georgia and rushed 63 yards and a career-high 3 TDs on 15 carries in a win over the Dawgs. He also helped the Vols defeat Alabama after scoring the game-winning TD in the fourth while recording 11 carries for 34 yards. After a loss to LSU, where he had 10 carries for 44 yards, Foster was arrested after getting involved in a nightclub fight and along with a couple of teammates, was charged with disorderly conduct and underage consumption. After the incident, Foster's number dropped drastically as he managed to register only -5 yards and a TD on 5 carries in the last three games of the regular season. He made his postseason debut at the Outback Bowl, rushing 12 times for 65 yards with 1 catch for 13 yards. Foster's "sophomore jinx" season ended with him recording 91 carries for 322 yards and 5 TDs with 11 receptions for 88 yards.
[edit] 2007
Foster was able to redeem himself during his junior year, recording twin-digit carries in all games and recording five 100-yard games. He began the year with a 13-carry, 89-yard performance against California capped by his first TD reception. He recorded his first 100-yard game the following week, rushing for 125 yards and 2 TDs on 23 carries against Southern Miss. He established his season highs in TDs (3) against Georgia, carries (27), receptions (9), and receiving yards (98) against Kentucky, and rushing yards (139) against Mississippi State. He ended the season with a 16-carry, 31-yard performance against Wisconsin at the Outback Bowl. Foster established personal single season-highs in almost all statistical categories during his junior campaign, with 245 carries for 1,193 rushing yards and 12 TDs with 39 catches for 340 yards and 2 TDs.
[edit] Highlights
| Foster's post-game interview after his 17-carry, 98-yard, 3-TD performance against Georgia (CBS Sports). |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2007
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #18 Player in the SEC
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #3 RB in the SEC
- Phil Steele's All-SEC 3rd Team Offense
- Rivals.com All-SEC Second Team
- SEC Media All-League Second Team
[edit] 2005
- Rivals.com Freshman All-America Second Team
- SEC Coaches Freshman All-League
- SEC Freshman Player of the Week (Nov. 28, 2005)
- The Sporting News Freshman All-America Honorable mention
- The Sporting News Freshman All-SEC
