Getting along fine

Here he was coming off five consecutive 100-yard rushing games and suddenly his position coach was reassigned to wide receivers.

Former running backs coach Trooper Taylor was more than just a coach to Foster. He was a confidant to a young man who admittedly has trust issues.

Then, Taylor's replacement showed up. The two must have seemed like complete opposites. Kurt Roper's reserved off-field personality was a far cry from Taylor's energetic approach.

UT's players and coaches quickly learned that first impressions can be deceiving. Taylor recalled how UT's running backs responded to Roper's first practice tirade.

"They were like 'Man, I didn't know all that could come out of a little guy,' " Taylor said.

Foster also remembers his introduction to Roper's intense side.

"The first time I heard him yell, it kind of took me back," the sophomore said. "It just didn't look like it would come out of him.

"He's a funny dude. He likes to joke and stuff. When he gets mad, it's like 'Wow, hold on.' "

Such an outburst is tough to imagine when talking to Roper. The 34-year-old coach doesn't carry any sort of coaching scowl off the field.

"I think I'm pretty laid-back until I go to the practice field," said Roper, who also has coached at Kentucky and Mississippi. "When we go to the practice field, I want to be somebody that they want to please and that they're worried about pleasing.

"I'm on them all the time."

Foster may not need as much pushing as other players. Roper describes him as a star student.

"I think he enjoys the process of the game," Roper said. "He goes out and every play he's trying to get better. Everything he does is full speed. A coach enjoys that."

Even the tirades don't seem to bother Foster.

"It's funny when coaches yell at me because I don't take it personally," he said. "They're just doing what they do."

Perhaps the greatest compliment Foster can give Roper is that he reminds him of his old coach.

"You know what?" Foster said, when asked to compare Taylor and Roper. "They are pretty similar now that I really think about it."

Shortly after Roper arrived, he and Foster had a low-pressure environment to get to know each other. While Roper was learning the ropes, Foster was sidelined after knee and shoulder surgery. Foster didn't let his practice-field absence postpone a necessary relationship.

"We just talked," Foster said. "I went to his office and we just shot the cool breeze."

Although both can be intense as times, one gets the sense that Foster and his new coach approach football the same way.

"I don't think you ever lose sight of the fact that this is a game," Roper said. "It's obviously a very important sport. It affects a lot of people's lives. But this is a game.

"It's supposed to be enjoyable. We're supposed to have a good time. Everything doesn't always have to be tense or nervous."