MORGANTOWN - On Wednesday afternoon, West Virginia's offensive line was out working before any other position, save for the punters.

Assistant coach Dave Johnson had his unit going over plays. The linemen tiptoed through the tape "ropes,'' doing what they called the "Ickey Shuffle'' and "Duck Dance.''

But there was also other shuffling going on within the unit.

If you remember in this space, back in early April, it was suggested redshirt freshman Joe Madsen might end up as the Mountaineers' starting center.

Well, guess who was taking snaps with the first unit on Wednesday?

Yep, there was the 6-foot-4, 286-pound Madsen working ahead of junior Eric Jobe. ("We'll know more after we see the film,'' said WVU head coach Bill Stewart.)

If Madsen sticks, the move gives the Mountaineers more beef up front. That is something they'll need to help cover for inexperience.

As the offensive line stands, even with the inexperience, it will still be an upper-half unit within the Big East. Right tackle Selvish Capers is an All-Big East candidate, Don Barclay is solid at left tackle and Josh Jenkins is a rising star at left guard. Even so, the Mountaineers aren't the Nebraska of old. They will have to move the pocket and move the defense east and west. They'll have to rely on their skill players to take the pressure off.

"What I see is [the offensive linemen] need more reps,'' said Stewart in his office after a long day. "They need to be together more.

"Everyone, though, says our line is a weak link. Well, it has the most inexperience. But those guys are all tough and they're all battlers. I'm tickled with how they compete.''

He paused.

"They're not ready to be named [after Fordham's] Seven Blocks of Granite, but if they stay healthy they'll be tough.''

Possibly for years.

For now, though, Stewart and Johnson are searching for answers. Actually, they are rolling for answers.

Here's the deal, according to Stewart.

At left tackle, Barclay, a 6-4, 298-pound redshirt sophomore, is entrenched and backed up by junior Matt Timmerman. At right tackle, Capers is one of the unit's leaders. And he too will be backed up by Timmerman, even though on your depth chart Jon Walko will be listed.

(Walko, by the way, was "nicked up,'' according to Stewart, on Wednesday and 6-6, 280-pound Cabell Midland product Cole Bowers, a true freshman, saw action with the second team. "[Bowers] will be a dandy,'' Stewart said. "He's going to be real good.'')

At left guard, WVU fans can expect to see Jenkins, a 6-3, 298-pound sophomore from Parkersburg.

"The only one we're not rolling [between positions] is Josh,'' Stewart said. "We want to leave Josh where he is.''

Nitro High product Chad Snodgrass, a sophomore Stewart calls "a player,'' is listed second on the depth chart behind Jenkins.

Assistant coach Dave Johnson had his unit going over plays. The linemen tiptoed through the tape "ropes,'' doing what they called the "Ickey Shuffle'' and "Duck Dance.''

But there was also other shuffling going on within the unit.

If you remember in this space, back in early April, it was suggested redshirt freshman Joe Madsen might end up as the Mountaineers' starting center.

Well, guess who was taking snaps with the first unit on Wednesday?

Yep, there was the 6-foot-4, 286-pound Madsen working ahead of junior Eric Jobe. ("We'll know more after we see the film,'' said WVU head coach Bill Stewart.)

If Madsen sticks, the move gives the Mountaineers more beef up front. That is something they'll need to help cover for inexperience.

As the offensive line stands, even with the inexperience, it will still be an upper-half unit within the Big East. Right tackle Selvish Capers is an All-Big East candidate, Don Barclay is solid at left tackle and Josh Jenkins is a rising star at left guard. Even so, the Mountaineers aren't the Nebraska of old. They will have to move the pocket and move the defense east and west. They'll have to rely on their skill players to take the pressure off.

"What I see is [the offensive linemen] need more reps,'' said Stewart in his office after a long day. "They need to be together more.

"Everyone, though, says our line is a weak link. Well, it has the most inexperience. But those guys are all tough and they're all battlers. I'm tickled with how they compete.''

He paused.

"They're not ready to be named [after Fordham's] Seven Blocks of Granite, but if they stay healthy they'll be tough.''

Possibly for years.

For now, though, Stewart and Johnson are searching for answers. Actually, they are rolling for answers.

Here's the deal, according to Stewart.

At left tackle, Barclay, a 6-4, 298-pound redshirt sophomore, is entrenched and backed up by junior Matt Timmerman. At right tackle, Capers is one of the unit's leaders. And he too will be backed up by Timmerman, even though on your depth chart Jon Walko will be listed.

(Walko, by the way, was "nicked up,'' according to Stewart, on Wednesday and 6-6, 280-pound Cabell Midland product Cole Bowers, a true freshman, saw action with the second team. "[Bowers] will be a dandy,'' Stewart said. "He's going to be real good.'')

At left guard, WVU fans can expect to see Jenkins, a 6-3, 298-pound sophomore from Parkersburg.

"The only one we're not rolling [between positions] is Josh,'' Stewart said. "We want to leave Josh where he is.''

Nitro High product Chad Snodgrass, a sophomore Stewart calls "a player,'' is listed second on the depth chart behind Jenkins.

At right guard, Jeff Braun, 6-4, 307 pounds, and John Bassler, 6-4, 297, are listed 1-2. Both, by the way, are redshirt freshmen.

But (here's where you have to pay attention) the player - either Madsen or Jobe - that doesn't win the starting center spot could be the backup at either the right or left guard positions.

Got it?

If not, well, roll with it.

Camp observations

 After Wednesday afternoon's practice, WVU quarterback Jarrett Brown sat on a couch with ice on his throwing shoulder. It's standard operating procedure for many.

Stewart, though, was asked if, like a baseball pitcher, his quarterbacks are on a "pitch count.''

"Yes, they are watched,'' he said. "[Graduate assistant] JaJuan Seider keeps an eye on that.''

 Brown, by the way, was half-jokingly asked if he'd again be in Bob Huggins' basketball camp this winter. "No,'' he said, "I'll be all beaten up by then. Plus, they've got enough talent over there.''

 Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said before practice that Tevita Finau, the Hawaiian recruit, "isn't even on my radar right now.''

 Early in WVU's scrimmage on Wednesday, the Mountaineer offense had some tough moments. It was stuffed on third-and-2 and, moments later, tailback Noel Devine uncorked a fumble.

 A sign of the future? Running the second-team offense, true freshman quarterback Geno Smith threw a completed pass in the flat to true freshman tailback Tavon Austin.

 Mark Rodgers has been working as the No. 2 tailback behind Devine.

 And finally . . .

A report out Wednesday said the Big East suffered a big blow when the Sun Bowl decided to sign with the Atlantic Coast Conference to take its No. 5 team instead of the Big East's No. 3 team.

Stewart said he was "very excited'' about the news of the Big East-Champs Sports deal, but hadn't heard anything concrete in regard to the Sun.

If true, though, the No. 3 Big East team is apparently headed back to the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Ouch.

Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at http://twitter.com/MitchVingle.