Tennessee tailback Arian Foster is not the kind of guy who'll be lost in his headphones or slamming his head against a locker in the minutes before a game.

In fact, his pregame routine is about the polar opposite of the football stereotype.

"I like to smile and have fun and joke," Foster says. "A lot of people don't. A lot of people like to be straight-on, dead serious. Sometimes you'll find me like that, but most games I'm relaxed.

"I'll crack some jokes. Some people don't like that or take it as unfocused, but it's just my personality."

Tight end Chris Brown, who has the locker next to Foster's, knows exactly what Foster's personality is like.

"He's very relaxed on the football field, and I think that's what makes him play so well," Brown says. "He and I always talk about how much fun we have playing together. When he goes out there and he makes plays, it builds his confidence."

And it makes that almost ever-present grin on his face a little wider.

This year, Foster has plenty to smile about.

The junior needs 11 yards Saturday against Kentucky (TV: WVLT, 1:30 p.m.) to reach 1,000 yards for the season.

It's a long time coming for the San Diego native.

While the Vols bounced back in 2006, Foster took a step in the other direction.

As a freshman in 2005, Foster rushed for 879 yards, including five consecutive games over 100 yards after starter Gerald Riggs suffered a season-ending injury.

But last season, he missed two full games with an ankle injury and carried just twice in a loss to Florida.

As LaMarcus Coker emerged as UT's leading rusher, Foster fell to the background.

A fumble in the Outback Bowl that went the other way for Penn State's deciding touchdown was the low point.

"Last year, he thought after he fumbled the ball against Penn State, that things weren't going to go his way this year," says Brown.

Early on, it didn't look like it would.

After rushing for 214 yards in UT's first two games, he hit another low against Florida.

Foster finished with 26 yards rushing in that game - and another costly fumble that went for a Gators touchdown.

But since then, he's scored in every game except Vanderbilt and leads the Vols with 13 touchdowns.

He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry, exactly 2 yards a carry more than last season.

He's topped 90 yards rushing in five of the last seven games - and that's not even half the story.

"He's given us a lot of little extra yards along the way this year," offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe says. "He's a tremendous pass protector. He's a big part of why we've been successful protecting the quarterback. And he's also a tremendous receiver."

Quarterback Erik Ainge, who praised Foster's ability as a pass protector. He also likes Foster as a receiver, too.

"Sometimes I'll throw him the ball in the flat, even if it's man-to-man and I shouldn't be throwing it him, sometimes I'll throw it him anyway because I know that first guy isn't going to tackle him," Ainge said. "Having that trust and knowing he's going to get it done and knowing he's going to make plays for four quarters long is a great feeling as a quarterback."

Foster feels good about getting back in the groove this year.

But those 1,000 yards he'll almost surely get - and any to follow - don't measure up to the goals he set for himself last season.

"I think as an athlete you can never be content," Foster says, "But I've had some success, and it feels pretty good.

"I didn't reach my personal goals that I had. You have to set them high or you're not even going to get close. There's always next year."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.