Missing in action.

That was the theme for Tennessee running backs this past spring.

A shoulder here and a couple of knee problems there left Vols' coaches biding time for a return to a healthy backfield.

Most of those anxious eyes were turned toward Arian Foster.

The sophomore from San Diego, Calif., has worked overtime to rehab from winter shoulder surgery.

He already has proved he can come through in the clutch.

Foster reached some elite status when he rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his first five starts in place of injured Gerald Riggs Jr. last season.

He averaged 148.4 yards per game as a starter and provided the Vols with their most consistent - sometimes only - offensive weapon late in the year.

Offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe liked what he saw out of Foster. He's accustomed to having quality backs to work with at Tennessee.

During his stint as UT's offensive coordinator 1993-1998, Cutcliffe helped Charlie Garner, James Stewart, Jay Graham and Jamal Lewis achieve 1,000-yard seasons.

"I want to be a team of balance," Cutcliffe said. "That doesn't mean 50-50. That means we throw it when we want to throw it and we run it when we want to run it.

"You can't ever lose your ability to run the ball. You get on your heels there - and you can ask (defensive coordinator) John Chavis about this - if he gets somebody where they can't run the ball, it's hard to play offense."

The problem for Cutcliffe and first-year running backs coach Kurt Roper is they haven't been able to work with Foster, Montario Hardesty or LaMarcus Coker except in limited, non-contact situations.

They have been able to watch film.

They saw Foster rush 40 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Vanderbilt.

"I'm pleased with the attitude of Arian Foster, Hardesty and Coker as far as the work they're doing to get back physically," Cutcliffe said. "The first thing I want is to be mentally and physically tough."

Hardesty (6-0, 205) could be the wild card.

He spent all winter and spring rehabbing from a torn ACL injury suffered against Ole Miss.

At the time, it looked as if the freshman from New Bern, N.C., was making a serious push for backup tailback duties to Riggs.

He needs to get up to speed quickly with fall drills getting underway Aug. 4.

Coker looks to be the third man in the tailback mix.

Ja'Kouri Williams, David Yancey and Ricardo Kemp helped pick up the slack and fill the void in the spring.

Fullback could become an interesting position to watch with some of the different wrinkles Cutcliffe is incorporating in his offense.

"They're very interchangeable with the tight ends in a lot of ways," Cutcliffe said. "I think they can be effective, but they have to be every-down players."

Senior Cory Anderson and junior David Holbert are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the depth chart.

Anderson (6-3, 255) is a big, physical product out of Austin-East High School who had an impressive sophomore season and struggled at times as a junior.

Outlook: Foster is a proven commodity who has the ability to be a 1,000-yard back.

Hardesty and Coker can make people miss and have breakaway potential, but they're unproven.

If they can stay healthy and a young offensive line develops, this could be a solid corps. But those are big questions.

Expect a bounce-back year from Anderson at fullback.