Alabama's young runners bidding for early playing time

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Glen Coffee knew there would be plenty of competition for playing time behind Alabama tailback Kenneth Darby long before he arrived on campus.<br> <br> It was obvious when he saw the other talented tailbacks in the Crimson Tide&#39;s signing class, including Parade All-American Roy Upchurch.<br> <br> ``When I found out that they were coming, I wasn&#39;t scared,&#39;&#39; said Coffee from Fort Walton Beach, Fla. ``I wasn&#39;t thinking about switching schools or anything like that.<br> <br> ``I was just like, &#39;All right, I&#39;m a man. I&#39;m leaving my house. It&#39;s time for me to step out in the world.&#39; This is part of life: Adversity. Competition. Struggle. I was just looking forward to it.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tide and its wounded backfield began preseason practice Wednesday with freshman running backs Coffee and Upchurch as well as Ali Sharrief hoping to provide an instant boost. Mike Ford, who led the state of Florida with 2,837 yards and 37 touchdowns, signed with Alabama but did not qualify academically.<br> <br> Darby had surgery in the spring to repair a sports hernia. He and fullback Tim Castille, who tore two knee ligaments against Tennessee last season, will be monitored during practice.<br> <br> The freshmen will have plenty of opportunities to play even if Darby proves 100 percent healthy. Sophomore Aaron Johns is the only other scholarship tailback.<br> <br> ``Its too early to tell which one will step up,&#39;&#39; coach Mike Shula said. ``They&#39;ve all come in and worked hard. With Darby being monitored, those guys are probably going to get more playing time and more practice time with the first unit than they expected.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Upchurch and Coffee especially bring impressive credentials to Tuscaloosa.<br> <br> The 6-foot, 193-pound Upchurch ran for 2,548 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior at Godby High in Tallahassee, Fla. Coffee, a 6-1, 207-pounder, gained 1,886 yards and scored 27 overall TDs.<br> <br> Sharrief, a two-time Class 4A 55-meter Alabama state champion, rushed for more than 900 yards as a senior at North Jackson High in Stevenson.<br> <br> Upchurch said he and his fellow freshman running backs are friendly competitors.<br> <br> ``We really sized each other up speed-wise,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We don&#39;t look at the body. We just size them up and tell them, &#39;Meet me out there on the field.&#39;<br> <br> ``We feed off each other. If we see somebody on the ground bending over, we tell them to &#39;Get up, let&#39;s go.&#39; We motivate each other. If somebody&#39;s down, we&#39;ve just got to push each other.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Coffee said running backs coach Sparky Wood has made it clear that the freshmen&#39;s bid for playing time will be based on more than running ability. They&#39;ll also need to be able to handle blocking duties for quarterback Brodie Croyle.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s the No. 1 thing Coach Woods preaches to us,&#39;&#39; Coffee said. ``Really, he told us if we can block and protect Brodie, we&#39;ll get a chance at playing early. That&#39;s the biggest key right now.<br> <br> ``Behind K.D., it&#39;s up in the air. All of us will touch the field. It&#39;s just what we do when the time comes.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)