Tailback Gerald Riggs is out, but power football is still in at Tennessee.

Riggs, the Vols' leading rusher with 530 yards and three touchdowns on 127 carries this season, will be sidelined the rest of the year after suffering lower-leg and ankle injuries in UT's 6-3 loss at Alabama on Saturday.

The injury occurred with 6:45 remaining in the game. It came at the end of Riggs' season-high 24-yard run to the Tide's 3-yard line when Tide defensive back Simeon Castille fell on Riggs' right leg and ankle near the sideline.

Riggs will have an MRI test today to determine the extent of his injuries.

UT coach Phillip Fulmer said Monday the Vols will remain intent on featuring a power-running game. In fact, that just might be the tonic to cure the tricky defensive alignments South Carolina coordinator John Thompson figures to use at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

The wily Thompson is known for bizarre alignments, which include unconventional blitzes and formations that leave guards and centers uncovered.

"A lot of people's philosophy is to run right at them,'' Vols' offensive line coach Jimmy Ray Stephens said. "But you've got to mix it up with the pass, too.''

Stephens' line found vindication against Alabama. If not for two fumbles inside the Tide's 10-yard line, UT would have likely ground out the victory.

Instead, the Vols lost the game and their second preseason All-SEC player in as many games. UT cornerback Jason Allen suffered a dislocated hip in the Vols' loss to Georgia.

Riggs, who made nine career starts, closes his career 13th on UT's all-time rushing list. Riggs finished his career with 1,893 yards on 383 carries for a 4.9-yard average.

Riggs scored 10 career TDs including an 80-yarder against Auburn in the 2004 SEC championship game. Riggs had a team-high 1,107 yards rushing last season, pairing with Cedric Houston to give the Vols their first pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.

Now, it's up to redshirt freshman Arian Foster step up and step into the starting lineup. Walk-on David Yancey is the back-up tailback, and Fulmer said electrifying true freshman LaMarcus Coker is "definitely back in the mix.''

As for Tennessee's commitment to the run game, Fulmer said he liked what he saw from the Vols' new alignment, which is known as the "Bama Package,'' according to offensive coordinator Randy Sanders.

According to Sanders and Fulmer, Tennessee had never used the formation — surprising, considering the extensive "Tennessee system'' of which the coaches often speak.

The new offensive set is basically a two-wide receiver, single-back double tight-end set, with the tight ends flanking the quarterback. Just one thing: the two tight ends also can be H-back Chris Brown and fullbacks Cory Anderson or David Holbert.

"It's kind of like an inverted wishbone,'' Stephens said. "You get some (blocking) angles on certain plays and it gives you the ability to go either way against an eight-man front. It gave us an opportunity to match up and get a hat on hat.''

The formation also balances out the defense and makes it easier for the H-back/fullback/tight end to slip into pass routes or pick up blitzes.

"I don't want to discuss the strategy of it,'' Fulmer said. "It's a balanced formation that gives you a number of options and it gets a group of our best players and most healthy players on the field.

"It's something we liked and we'll build off.''

UT also used a formation utilizing three offensive tackles, adding Eric Young into the mix.

Fulmer said the Vols won't become one-dimensional, but the power running game will remain a part of Tennessee's personality.

Foster, who on one play Saturday shook off a linebacker deep in the backfield and burst for a first down, impressed many with his speed and power.

"He's showing us some maturity, now we'll see what his maturity is really like now, now that he's gonna be the main guy,'' Fulmer said. "I'm glad he's had a big game before he had the chance to be the starter.''

Foster, a 6-foot-1, 211-pounder from San Diego, had a career-high 14 carries for 53 yards against an Alabama defense that ranks 10th in the nation against the run.

The Vols' rush attack ranks 105th in the nation. UT offensive linemen are intent on changing that.

"You ask any of those guys on the field, it's (running is) what we've wanted to do,'' Vols' center Richie Gandy said. "That's what we've been asking for. We've wanted to do it since the beginning of the year, but we understand we have to scheme up defenses.''

Gandy said the statistics — UT rushed for 109 yards against the Tide — are misleading.

"We felt we moved the ball well the whole game,'' Gandy said. "A lot of people don't agree ... but the turnovers got us, obviously.''

Stephens agreed with Gandy's assessment.

"We'd talked every week about pounding the rock, and we hadn't done it,'' Stephens said. "We've challenged the guys to be more physical; run blocking is a mindset more than anything.''