Moody knows his role

Fans have cried out for it on message boards. The media has discussed it ad nauseum. But each time, Florida coach Urban Meyer lets everyone down. Despite all the talk of getting junior running back Emmanuel Moody more carries, it just hasn't happened.

Now, however, it appears his role in Florida's offense could be expanding.

Those chants of "Moooooody" might increase after his performance at LSU in which he pounded out 42 yards on six carries. It's nothing to pin a Heisman campaign on, but it meant something.

"He’s really stepping up and he’s really taking a bigger role," All-America quarterback Tim Tebow said of Moody. "I told him I was very proud of him this game because that’s the hardest I've seen him play and the hardest I've seen him run."

It also impressed Meyer, who teased yet again by answering "yes, yes and yes" when asked by the media if Moody would be more involved in the offense.

Meyer said he sees something different in Moody. There's a change in the way he treats practices and his opportunities in games.

"His demeanor. His approach, everything. He’s earning a bit more time," Meyer said.

Meyer has said that before. All of the offensive coaches have.

Maybe, this time will be different.

Moody assures nothing has been promised to him and that Meyer has done a "great job" handling him in games. There is no set number of carries for him and he doesn't want his coaches concentrating on his amount of touches.

"When my number's called, whether its six carries, I just try to make the most of it," he said.

When he arrived in '07, Moody looked like the every-down back that Meyer has searched for throughout his four-plus years in Gainesville. But his mind wasn't right.

Moody, who was named The Sporting News Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year at Southern Cal in 2006, admits he figured he'd be handed the ball from day one. After all, he transferred from "Running back U" to be "the guy" at Florida.

However, he couldn't catch onto the offense, had a fumbling issue and was ravaged by the injury bug. Moody turned into a barrel of frustration and his work ethic faltered because of it.

"Last year I had expectations," he said. "When you have expectations, you can really get down on yourself and that’s what happened. I just expected certain things."

Moody's not expecting anything this year.

He just wants to help the team as best he can. So far, he's done the job asked of him. Moody is fourth on the team in rushing with 230 yards on 24 carries, and he's averaging a nation-leading 9.6 yards per rush.

That's not important to Moody, though. Those numbers don't mean anything to him. He could care less about his offensive workload, as long as he's contributing in some way. Wins are all that matter to him at this point.

"We’re winning, man," Moody said. "If I get 20 carries and we’re losing, then 20 carries means nothing. Whether I get six, five, 10 carries, it doesn’t matter, we’re winning, I'll be happy. I’d be happier in Atlanta (for the SEC championship) and Pasadena (for the national championship) than I would getting 20 carries if we’re just winning."

Should more work come, Moody will gladly accept it, but he says that with his health and positive vibes, he'll make more of the chances given to him this time.

"It just feels good to be 100 percent, right now, and it feels good contributing this year," he said. "Last year, I didn’t feel I was really making a contribution. This year, I feel more confident in what I'm doing."