'Bama's Darby hoping for strong finish to subpar season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Kenneth Darby opened the season thinking about records, rushing titles and postseason honors.<br> <br> Now, the Alabama tailback just wants to put a nice ending to both a distinguished career and a disappointing senior season.<br> <br> Darby expects to get plenty of chances in the Crimson Tide&#39;s Independence Bowl game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 28.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m going to have to come out and just go all-out,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I&#39;ve got a good feeling the coaches are going to kind of feed me the ball. Don&#39;t ask me why I feel that way, I just feel it&#39;s going to happen.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m just going to have to do my thing and get as many yards as I can.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Then again, those yards have been awfully hard to come by this season. Darby has gained just 820 yards the lowest total since his freshman season and hasn&#39;t scored a rushing touchdown in 200 carries this season. His 4.1-yard per carry average is also the lowest of his career.<br> <br> Making that performance even more disappointing for Darby is that he entered the season needing just 1,077 yards to run down Shaun Alexander&#39;s Alabama rushing mark. He seemed a sure bet to become the first Tide runner to gain 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.<br> <br> One reason for his diminishing numbers has been Alabama&#39;s emphasis on the passing game with John Parker Wilson and receivers DJ Hall and Keith Brown.<br> <br> But mixed into the season were several games where Darby just couldn&#39;t produce yards. He managed just 110 yards on 43 carries against Tennessee, LSU and Auburn three of the team&#39;s biggest games.<br> <br> With offensive coordinator Dave Rader calling the plays now instead of fired head coach Mike Shula, Darby expects to shoulder more of the offensive load against Oklahoma State (6-6). And he thinks the Tide running game can be successful.<br> <br> ``We could have run effectively this whole season but we really didn&#39;t get the opportunity to do it,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We can always run the ball effectively against anybody. It&#39;s going to really show on the 28th.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Darby has plenty of reasons to want a strong finish to his career. He&#39;s not worried much about what one more big game could do to improve his own legacy in the eyes of Alabama fans. Darby has gained 3,309 rushing yards, after all, only the third Tide back to go over the 3,000-yard mark.<br> <br> ``Even if I was to do bad this game, which I doubt, I&#39;m pretty sure I&#39;ll still leave a pretty good picture in people&#39;s minds about me,&#39;&#39; Darby said. ``They can remember some things I did. Sometimes I probably made some people look kind of crazy on defense running the ball.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> His top concerns now are helping the Tide (6-6) avoid a losing record and perhaps even boosting his own NFL draft stock. That&#39;s where his focus will turn at game&#39;s end.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m getting ready for that next step,&#39;&#39; Darby said. ``It&#39;s going to be another chance for me to pretty much show myself.&#39;&#39;