Before Emmanuel Moody can become the workhorse back Gator Nation envisions and takes the ball out of Tim Tebow's hands, he needs to keep his hands on the ball.

The heralded transfer from USC rushed 14 times for 111 yards and a touchdown in the spring game on April 12, but the 2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year also drew the ire of head coach Urban Meyer with a goal-line fumble.

"If he's not very good with ball security, then he won't play tailback at Florida," he told the Gainesville Sun. "He's got talent, but there's no chance you'll see him play regardless of whatever dot.com says and all the e-mail I'll get and everything else. He will not play football if there's a chance it's falling on the ground."

Meyer is a man of his word when it comes to fumbles, no matter how much speed and power Moody might possess. Exhibit A is incumbent starter Kestahn Moore, who carried 53 times in the first four games last year but got six or fewer rushing attempts in seven of his last nine games after a couple of key fumbles.

Meyer and new running backs coach Kenny Carter are blessed with plenty of options outside of Moody, Moore (580 rushing yards in 2007), Tebow (895) and receiver Percy Harvin (764), who is ahead of schedule in recovery from surgery in April on his right heel.

Sophomore Mon Williams is back after missing last season with a torn ACL and return wizard Brandon James has dazzling open-field moves and breakaway speed, but it was slippery sophomore Chris Rainey who made the biggest strides this spring. After the final practice, Meyer said either Moore or Rainey would be the starter if the season opened that week.

"If Chris Rainey was 215 pounds and Kestahn Moore ran 10.4 100 meters, put those two together and you're good," Meyer told GatorCountry.com. "The Adrian Petersons are hard to find. We're looking."

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