Norman looks to power Vanderbilt

<p>HOOVER, Ala. — Warren Norman's fabulous freshman year came as a surprise to many, especially to him.</p><p>The 5-foot-10, 198-pound running back figured his first year on campus would consist of a life restricted to Vandy's backfield. He was brought in to be a running back, but the SEC would later come to know him mainly as the deadliest of returners.</p><p>That wasn't the original plan.</p><p>It wasn't until an injury placed him in a situation to try out as a returner, something he did sparingly in high school. After a few turns, Norman got the nod.</p><p>"I guess they were just trying me out and I did well," Norman said.</p><p>"Well" became an understatement for Norman in 2009.</p><p>Norman finished his rookie season by returning an SEC-record 1,050 yards and three touchdowns off 40 returns. He averaged 26.2 yards per return, ranking fourth in the conference, and his three touchdowns matched an SEC record.</p><p>Without a ton of experience returning kicks, Norman said he relied totally on his instinct once he caught the ball. A lot of patience is needed when running through an offensive line, he said, but when he fielded kicks, his thought process was minimal as he let his eyes and legs do most of the work.</p><p>Redshirt junior linebacker Chris Marve was amazed at what Warren did as a frosh. Seeing him in practice was exciting, he said, but he never expected the freshman to produce like he did.</p><p>"It's kind of like you hold your breath," Marve said of watching Warren return kicks. "I'm sure other teams do as well. When he touches the ball, there's no telling if he's going to break (it for a touchdown) or what."</p><p>It wasn't just kickoffs that had the SEC fascinated with Norman. He played some running back as well and with his team-high 783 yards on the ground, he broke the SEC all-purpose yardage record for a freshman, accumulating 1,941 yards (161.8 yards per game).</p><p>He also became the first SEC freshman since Georgia's Herschel Walker, whom new Vandy coach Robbie Caldwell joked needed to be Googled by Warren because of the age gap, to lead the league in all-purpose yards.</p><p>Now, Warren's name — and size — is bigger and Caldwell said he expects to see even more of him coming out of the backfield this fall.</p><p>"We hope to give him an even bigger role," Caldwell said. "Warren, we look to take him to another level. He's excited about it. He's working in the weight room to get ready, to prepare his body. You're going to take a pounding in this league."</p><p>It's a pounding Warren said he's ready for. He appreciates the challenge to put his name into consideration as an elite SEC back. The more touches, the better.</p><p>"Hopefully, (he will) get the ball more," Warren said. "Playing running back, you always want the ball as many times as you can get it. I don't see me doing anything else besides returning kicks and playing running back. Hopefully I can get the ball more and win some more games."</p><p>Warren's desire for more action isn't a sign of greed or selfishness. He maintains that if an increased role in the offense helps the Commodores win games then that's what he wants. Stats are fun to look at, but Warren said his focus is on helping Vandy improve upon its 2-10 record from a year ago.</p><p>"I'm always happy if we're winning, no matter how well I'm doing," he said. "If we're not winning, I'm not going to be happy, no matter how well I'm doing."</p>