Matt Asiata said he learned from his late father to be humble. Still, Asiata does not hesitate to let it be known what his goal is for next season.

After playing almost exclusively on special teams for nearly two full seasons, the Vikings running back got his chance in two games last December when starter Adrian Peterson and backup Toby Gerhart both were out with injuries. He made the most of it, rushing for three touchdowns in a Dec. 15 win over Philadelphia and for more than 100 yards in a Dec. 29 victory over Detroit.

Now, Gerhart has bolted as a free agent to Jacksonville. There is a spot available on the Vikings as the backup to Peterson.

“I have big shoes with Toby not being here, but it’s an opportunity for me to showcase my talent to prove to the coaches what I can do,” Asiata said. “I can be that No. 2 behind Adrian and help the offense move the ball and score touchdowns.”

The Vikings this month elected to keep Asiata, an exclusive rights free agent, with a one-year, $570,000 contract. The third-year man figures to get a good look as to whether he can be that No. 2 guy.

Asiata, 26 will continue to play with a heavy heart. His father, Pita, a tour bus driver in Utah, died after a crash into a utility truck last October. He was 53.

Asiata was extremely close with Pita, who emigrated from Samoa to the U.S. in 1974 and worked numerous jobs to earn money to bring other relatives over and to provide for Asiata and his four siblings.

“It made me a stronger and better person,” Asiata said of the impact of his father’s death. “I just want to go out there and play for him and play for my mom (Lole) and my siblings.

“(Pita) worked 24/7. Just to see the struggles he had with everything, I don’t want my mother to through the same thing. I want her to retire one day. I’m going to carry my last name for (his father) and be humble and just do the same thing he did by going out there and trying to be the best in everything you do.”

It wasn’t long after his father’s death that Asiata emerged. Against the Eagles, he carried 30 times for 51 yards and had touchdown runs of 1, 1 and 5 yards in a 48-30 win. Yes, his per-carry average of 1.7 was meager, but he became the first NFL player to rush for three TDs in his first start since Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper in 2000.

The next week, it was back to the bench. But the week after that, when injuries again hit Peterson and Gerhart, Asiata rushed for 115 yards on 14 carries in a 14-13 win over Detroit in the last game at the Metrodome.

“He played well when he had the opportunity last year,” said Vikings fullback Jerome Felton. “Philadelphia was tough to run against. His per-yard wasn’t great, but he kept the defense honest by running the ball and that allowed Matt (Cassel) to have a great game (throwing for 382 yards). Then he finished off the Detroit game with some big runs.”

The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Asiata didn’t carry the ball in any other game last year besides those two. He finished the season with 166 yards on 44 carries.

Stay tuned to see whether he showed enough for the Vikings to feel good about Asiata possibly being the No. 2 back. General manager Rick Spielman said the team is looking for depth at running back, but the Vikings have displayed no urgency to address the spot during the first two weeks of free agency.

“Matt stepped in and did a great job for us last year,” Spielman said. “But I know that you can’t go into the season with just two running backs. So that’s an area that we’ve talked about, a couple of running backs that are currently out on the market but also honed in on a couple of running backs in the draft as well.”

Running backs also on Minnesota’s roster are Joe Banyard and Bradley Randle. But they’re holdovers from the practice squad who would seem hard-pressed to beat out Asiata for the backup role.

Asiata has spent the offseason working out in the Twin Cities, where he lives with his wife, Tangi, and three children. He said the way he closed last season should warrant him plenty of consideration to be Peterson’s backup when offseason workouts begin in April.

“I’m going to come in with the same mind-set I did (last December),” Asiata said. “I’m going to come in hungry and prepared for next season.”

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.