Creer, Poole do ‘OK’ with Foster sidelined

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee coaches said after Saturday’s 13-7 loss to Wyoming that they were expecting tailback Arian Foster to be available despite the senior’s thigh bruise.

Instead, Foster, who previously started in 23 straight games, chose to sit out.

“I really thought Arian would go today,” coach Phillip Fulmer said. “I asked him a couple of different times during the week if he thought he’d be able to go. Arian’s been really a tough guy. If he couldn’t go, he couldn’t go. That surprised us a little bit.”

Fulmer said Foster was limited in Tuesday’s practice but that he thought his condition had improved.

“(Foster’s absence) probably hurt us some, a little, in the run game and some in protection, on occasion. That’s not an excuse,” the coach said.

With No. 2 running back Montario Hardesty sidelined with a stress fracture in his leg, sophomore Lennon Creer got his first career start Saturday. Creer rushed for 82 yards on 16 attempts, and freshman Tauren Poole added 44 yards on 11 carries.

Poole’s last appearance was in Tennessee’s win against UAB on Sept. 13, when he had 42 yards on 11 runs.

Creer entered the game with 202 yards on 38 attempts this season.

“I thought they went in there and competed hard,” Fulmer said. “It looked like for the most part they did OK with the protections. ... I thought they did fine.”

Creer’s 23-yard scamper — his longest run from scrimmage — highlighted the lone scoring drive for Tennessee (3-7), capped by Gerald Jones’ 8-yard touchdown reception from Jonathan Crompton with 10:08 in the third quarter.

“We’ll have to watch the film,” said first-year offensive coordinator Dave Clawson, “but those guys are good players. We should be able to play and win when they’re there.”

Clawson said Foster’s absence didn’t affect Saturday’s game plan.

“It just caught us off guard. We didn’t know till this morning,” Clawson said. “He said he didn’t feel right and he couldn’t push off (his leg).”

Foster, who started every game in 2007 and the first nine this season, was not available for comment after the game.