The starting defensive unit the night WVU beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to cap that season included six seniors playing their final game. Throw in junior linebacker Reed Williams, who was the defensive MVP that night and would eventually redshirt the next season because of shoulder injuries, and the next year's defense had to replace seven starters and three important backups.

Just for the record, that following year the defense still managed to rank No. 11 in the country in scoring defense. The rushing and passing numbers slipped into the 30s and 40s, but it was still a group that for the most part carried a team with the 73rd-ranked scoring offense (No. 104 in passing) to nine wins.

We bring all that up, of course, because beginning today Jeff Casteel has an eerily similar task in front of him. When West Virginia begins spring drills, WVU's defensive coordinator begins the process of replacing seven players from the defense that started the Champs Sports Bowl in December. Throw in Brandon Hogan, who missed that game because of a knee injury, and Casteel is once again facing a huge rebuilding job.

And last year's defense was even better than the 2007 version, ranking third in total defense and scoring defense, second against the run and 11th in passing yards allowed.

Can the same kind of metamorphosis take place?

"Well, the standard has been set here and this is very reminiscent of after the Fiesta Bowl here when we had to replace seven or eight of those kids off a defense that was fifth, sixth, eighth [in the country]. Whatever it was we were pretty good," Casteel said. "We're in the same situation now and the kids that are in the room understand what the standard is and they're trying to work toward that. We've got a long way to go."

The standard, of course, is pretty high. During most of Rodriguez's tenure from 2001 through that 2007 season, West Virginia's defense was often an afterthought. And with the offensive numbers those teams put up, it was almost OK that until 2007 only one of those defensive units ranked among the top 30 in the country. In 2003 WVU won eight games with the nation's 74th-ranked defense. In 2006 the Mountaineers were 11-2 with a defense that was No. 62.

In the past four years, though, the bar has been raised significantly. Those last four defenses have ranked Nos. 8, 11, 31 and 3 in scoring.

Here, though, is the issue. Every one of those defenses had Scooter Berry starting at tackle (yes, even way back in the Fiesta Bowl). Chris Neild played in practically every one of those games. Ditto J.T. Thomas, Pat Lazear, Sidney Glover, Anthony Leonard, Hogan and even special teams whiz Trippe Hale. Robert Sands wasn't around for the Fiesta Bowl season, but he was a mainstay the last three years.

So this isn't a defense that is just losing guys who happened to step up at the end of their careers, but a solid core that contributed mightily throughout the last four seasons, which - at least statistically - was perhaps the best four-year defensive run in school history.

"It's going to be a big spring for us, no doubt, losing the caliber of kids we lost,'' Casteel said. "We lost seven kids and over half of them ended up at the [NFL] Combine. And when you look at who we lost and where it is in our defense, it's all spread out.''

That was also the case in 2007, when WVU lost two of its three starting linemen (Keilen Dykes and Johnny Dingle), two of the three linebackers (Marc Magro and, ultimately, Williams), and four of the five defensive backs (corners Larry Williams and Antonio Lewis and safeties Eric Wicks and Ryan Mundy). The third corner (Vaughn Rivers) and top safety off the bench (Ridwan Malik) were also seniors.

That left Berry, Mortty Ivy and Quinton Andrews as the only returning starters. This year the Mountaineers are down to end Julian Miller, cornerback Keith Tandy, linebacker Najee Goode and safety Terence Garvin. Only Tandy and Miller are multi-year starters.

All of which explains why the team's pre-spring depth chart probably should have been written on a grease board instead of paper. There are so many holes to fill and so few really experienced players to step in that it's all going to seem hectic for a while.

"We have some good, young players that we have to mix and match and find the best way to utilize them,'' Casteel said. "And I think we have some guys that are capable.''

But as for the depth chart?

"Don't pay attention to it,'' Casteel said. "Because I couldn't tell you where they're going to play.

"The kids have asked me, 'Coach, where am I playing?' I don't know yet. And we don't need to know. When we need to know is when we get a little closer to September."

Fans, as a general rule, tend to make a bit too much of who is playing with the first team and the second team during both spring and fall camps. A lot of it is simple experimentation, trying to find out not only who can play where, but who can play best with whom. Anyone who puts any stock at all into that this spring is just asking to be surprised the next week or even the next day.

Still, the core guys who will get the first shots do have at least some experience. Jorge Wright and Josh Taylor have combined to play in 44 games on the line. Bruce Irvin will get a look on first and second downs now, and Will Clarke has potential to play behind or opposite Miller.

In the secondary, Pat Miller and Brodrick Jenkins were forced into a lot of action last year and will play with Tandy. Garvin, who it is easy to forget was last year's leading tackler, has some experience around him in Eain Smith (who has made nine starts at free safety), Darwin Cook, Mike Dorsey and Travis Bell.

Only at linebacker do things get a bit sticky. It's so unsettled there that Goode is actually listed as the starter on both the strong and weak sides, while Branko Busick, with all of three games experience, is listed as the starter in the middle. Junior-college transfer Josh Francis and sophomore Doug Rigg are going to be asked to get better in a hurry, along with a few others.

Then again, in 2008 a lot of guys were asked to get a lot better in a hurry, too, and they did.

Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.