MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- For much of this preseason -- and even back through spring drills -- West Virginia coach Bill Stewart spoke brightly about two starting senior linebackers, Pat Lazear and J.T. Thomas.

At seemingly every turn, Stewart spoke of their leadership and the reliance that these Mountaineers -- who open the season Saturday at home against Coastal Carolina -- have in both players.

That said, could injuries to both players have the team, and more to the point the defense, a bit worried?

Thomas missed some time in preseason camp with a neck injury and has now taken to wearing a "Cowboy Collar" for the first time in his career. It is a device that adds a level of stabilization to the neck.

"Medically, he needs to play to see how he is going to react," Stewart said of Thomas. "That is what has been told to me by our medical staff. So, we are going to play him Saturday and he will get in there and bang and do what he has to do."

One would think if West Virginia could get ahead of Division I-AA Coastal Carolina in the early going, Thomas would be given a light workload and make way for his backup at the will linebacker position, junior Najee Goode.

And then there is Lazear -- whose status is cloudy as he fights back from a knee injury sustained in camp. Lazear, who sustained the injury when he was accidentally leg-whipped by a teammate in a drill and has worn a brace since, is listed as a possible starter against Coastal Carolina. That is to say, the depth chart reads Lazear or redshirt freshman Branko Busick will start at mike linebacker.

"Still nursing that kick in the leg," Stewart said. "It wasn't surgical. With that bone bruise, we are still waiting for it to heal. I will know more Thursday when we release the [medical] report."

With West Virginia playing Division I-AA Coastal Carolina (5-6 last season), Stewart was questioned Tuesday about what will transpire -- from a personnel standpoint -- in this game.

How will the backups be handled?

How about the quarterback rotation with sophomore Geno Smith as the starter and two true freshmen, Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson, as the backups?

Stewart, who has shown a penchant to show his teeth a bit more with the media lately, snarled a bit.

"I don't have a crystal ball, but a friend of mine told me, 'You need to play who you need to play to win the football game,' " he said. "I got into it last year with some people. They were saying, 'Well, you are busting these redshirts.' Are you kidding me?"

Stewart then made a statement that drove home the point as to who is making personnel decisions.

"You play football here," he said. "And if I need you as a right guard on the kickoff team or the kickoff return team, or if I need you as a left upback on the punt team, you are going to play. We play as a family; I don't worry about all that other stuff. ... They play, we coach."

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