Vanderbilt will get a welcome shot in the arm with the return of redshirt senior tailback Jared Hawkins on Saturday against Rice.

"It's really good to be back," he said. "It's been really frustrating to be on the sideline."

Hawkins had a nagging foot injury that limited his mobility throughout spring practice and kept him out of action for the first three games.

He led the team last year in rushing with 593 yards on the ground and also scored four touchdowns. Hawkins blends quick bursts of speed with a powerful, between-the-tackles running style.

He's not concerned about getting up to speed with the no-huddle offense that the Commodores have debuted in 2009.

"I've taken mental reps since the spring," Hawkins said. "It's a little different than being out there. In some sense, the terminology is a little different, but I'm pretty much used to it."

What he isn't used to seeing is his team struggle this much on offense. Hawkins' impressive performance in the first half of last season was a major factor in Vanderbilt's success. In fact, his best rushing performance of the year came in a 38-21 win over Rice, when he ran for 107 yards a score.

Hawkins will be a badly needed boost for a team reeling after two straight double-digit losses, the most recent coming in a 15-3 defeat at the hands of Mississippi State.

"The team is definitely disappointed," he said. "As far as worrying about it, I don't think the guys have it in the back of their head. We're just focused on moving forward."

Hawkins will also have plenty of family on hand for his return as he is a native of the Houston area.