MORGANTOWN - Bradley Starks and Jock Sanders are perhaps West Virginia's two most versatile offensive players, each having switched positions at various times during the last year before earning starting jobs - Starks at wide receiver and Sanders at slot receiver.

Well, for a while at least on Friday, both were back at their original positions during the seventh day of WVU's preseason camp. But they returned for far different reasons.

Starks took practice snaps at quarterback, largely because he is one of only three QBs on the roster who are even remotely familiar with the offense. He needs to keep his hand in the position because he is one injury away from being the backup quarterback. It was also an opportune time to do that because Starks is returning from a hamstring injury and didn't need the physical stress of running routes and cutting.

As for Sanders, well, that's an entirely different story. Yes, in addition to being a starting slot receiver he is technically the backup behind Noel Devine at tailback. And, as is the case with Starks at quarterback, it's smart to get Sanders some practice time there.

But Sanders' appearance at tailback also was designed to send a very clear message to the pair of newcomers vying to step in behind Devine, and coach Bill Stewart wasn't shy about admitting it.

"You mean is it a message to No. 27 and No. 15?'' Stewart said, referring to freshman Terence Kerns and junior college transfer Zach Hulce. "You better believe it is. It says, 'We've got somebody else who can play this position.' ''

In a way, perhaps, it is far too early to pass judgment on the relative progress made by Kerns and Hulce, who are pretty much the only contenders for the backup tailback role - or at least the only ones being seriously looked at to this point. Neither was in school to participate in spring practice, so most of their knowledge and all of their practice reps have come in just the past seven days.

There is, however, a certain sense of urgency to filling the position because the season opener against Villanova is three weeks from today. And while Stewart admits he wishes Kerns and Hulce were making faster progress in their educational process, there is an even more compelling reason for looking elsewhere.

"I'm just sick and tired of watching the ball on the ground,'' Stewart said. "Forget about everything else. If you fumble the football you're not going to play, period. I'll redshirt you and put you on the scout team and let them pound on you all year until you don't fumble anymore.''

MORGANTOWN - Bradley Starks and Jock Sanders are perhaps West Virginia's two most versatile offensive players, each having switched positions at various times during the last year before earning starting jobs - Starks at wide receiver and Sanders at slot receiver.

Well, for a while at least on Friday, both were back at their original positions during the seventh day of WVU's preseason camp. But they returned for far different reasons.

Starks took practice snaps at quarterback, largely because he is one of only three QBs on the roster who are even remotely familiar with the offense. He needs to keep his hand in the position because he is one injury away from being the backup quarterback. It was also an opportune time to do that because Starks is returning from a hamstring injury and didn't need the physical stress of running routes and cutting.

As for Sanders, well, that's an entirely different story. Yes, in addition to being a starting slot receiver he is technically the backup behind Noel Devine at tailback. And, as is the case with Starks at quarterback, it's smart to get Sanders some practice time there.

But Sanders' appearance at tailback also was designed to send a very clear message to the pair of newcomers vying to step in behind Devine, and coach Bill Stewart wasn't shy about admitting it.

"You mean is it a message to No. 27 and No. 15?'' Stewart said, referring to freshman Terence Kerns and junior college transfer Zach Hulce. "You better believe it is. It says, 'We've got somebody else who can play this position.' ''

In a way, perhaps, it is far too early to pass judgment on the relative progress made by Kerns and Hulce, who are pretty much the only contenders for the backup tailback role - or at least the only ones being seriously looked at to this point. Neither was in school to participate in spring practice, so most of their knowledge and all of their practice reps have come in just the past seven days.

There is, however, a certain sense of urgency to filling the position because the season opener against Villanova is three weeks from today. And while Stewart admits he wishes Kerns and Hulce were making faster progress in their educational process, there is an even more compelling reason for looking elsewhere.

"I'm just sick and tired of watching the ball on the ground,'' Stewart said. "Forget about everything else. If you fumble the football you're not going to play, period. I'll redshirt you and put you on the scout team and let them pound on you all year until you don't fumble anymore.''

Again, though, it is still early, and sometimes ball security is directly related to how much is going through a player's head. In the case of Kerns and Hulce, they are probably under as much pressure as anyone - save perhaps for Brandon Hogan and his switch to cornerback - to learn a position from scratch and play right away.

Moving Sanders to the position for a day, however, was designed as more than just a wake-up call for the two newcomers. If they continue to struggle with either the system or ball security or both, Sanders would almost certainly have to make the switch back to a position he all but abandoned late last season when he began to really develop as a receiver and Devine took a firm hold on the spot as Steve Slaton's backup at tailback.

The only other option available might be to move another freshman, Mark Rodgers, from slot receiver to tailback. Rodgers was recruited as a tailback/slot, but has practiced almost exclusively with the slot receivers to this point. Moving Sanders and Rodgers isn't much of an option because that subtracts two slots from a position that already lost Hogan to defense. Still, a shortage there could be eased if recently arrived freshman D.J. Thomas develops quickly enough.

"It's too early to push any panic buttons, but it's not too early to start getting things straightened out,'' Stewart said. "We've got to have a backup tailback and we have to have one who knows what he's doing and doesn't drop the ball. If that's Jock Sanders, so be it. But I would rather it be No. 27 or No. 15.''

BRIEFLY: Boogie Allen has been switched from free safety to the spur safety spot, moving redshirt freshman Eain Smith into the spot at free safety. Before carving that in stone, however, know that heralded 6-foot-4 true freshman Robert Sands is also at free safety and could push Smith.

At the spur, Allen is likely to push Nate Sowers into a backup role. The third safety on the defense, the bandit, is occupied by Quinton Andrews and Sidney Glover.

Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.