While it's still questionable who will be behind center for the Huskies this fall, the running back position seems to be more settled. Nine players in the offensive backfield return for the UW, but the two positions still have their share of questions. Injuries have led to changes while the backs are practicing under the tutelage of a new position coach this spring.

Rich Alexis, the Huskies' leading rusher last season as a freshman, will miss all 15 spring practice sessions due to shoulder surgery. Paul Arnold, who has been hampered with a bad back, was moved to wide receiver to avoid the everyday pounding endured by ball carriers.

Adding to the uncertainty is new running backscoach Tony Alford, who was hired this spring after four-year veteran Wayne Moses left for USC last winter. Coach Rick Neuheisel was already familiar with Alford's work in the Big XII Conference. Alford was the running back coach at Iowa State when Neuheisel was at Colorado.

"I have spoken with [Neuheisel] on different occasions through the Big XII Conference," Alford said. "And what a good guy to work for. He likes to have fun and obviously knows the right mix between having fun and working hard and getting things done. A lot of people can't combine the two as well as Rick can, and that's very impressive."

Alford has an experienced yet young group of backs to work with. Senior Willie Hurst returns as a key leader for the Huskies at the position. Hurst has worked to ensure the younger players will pick up the intensity level this spring. The senior tailback looks to carry the leadership role this season after averaging 6.1 yards per carry last year.

"I'm one of the old men on the offense right now," Hurst said. "It seems like yesterday I was only a freshman, but now it's my senior year. And part of being a senior is you see things going on in practice, you take a leadership role and tell everyone to pick it up and get it going."

Hurst starts his final season as a Husky learning a new set of drills and demands from his new coach. Alford's system centers around ball security with a lot of game-oriented drills.

Whenever there is a fumble in practice, the whole running backs unit pays the price in drills. When the ball popped out of sophomore Matthias Wilson's hands during Tuesday's practice, Alford was all over it. All seven healthy backs stayed behind to get down on the ground and perform rigorous balancing techniques while moving up and down the field. The "punishment" drills force the players to hold the ball with both hands all the time. Hurst approves.

"Anytime the ball comes out, the whole group has to do one of those, no matter who did it," Hurst said. "Honestly, I am wondering why [the coaches] haven't done it before. It's very tiring, so you'll get it in your head that you will not commit a fumble because you don't want to do that drill."

Under Alford last year, the Iowa State running backs had zero fumbles all season while ranking 17th in the nation in rushing. It was all part of an amazing Iowa State turnaround that saw the Cyclones go from a 4-7 team in 1999 to 9-3 and an Insight.com Bowl victory in 2000.

"I think that you get what you're stressing and I've always been a guy who has stressed ball security," Alford said. "I'm proud to say that I'm not the one taking any hits. I'm not going to get tackled one time, and it's really the guys out there who are the ones taking it to heart. Those guys have to understand that they're carrying the entire program under their arms at any given time."

Alford has a number of choices of who he allows to carry the program. Braxton Cleman also returns with three years of experience at tailback. Cleman was limited on Tuesday after hurting his shoulder, but received the necessary treatment after practice and has returned for spring drills. At fullback, Ken Walker and John Hart return with three years of experience, while Wilson starts to see more time.

"The competition (for playing time) breeds more success because you start thinking that I have to keep playing hard because the guy behind me is and the guy next to me is," Alford said.

Sophomore Sean Sweat has impressed Neuheisel this spring and could see extended playing time at special teams in addition to tailback. In limited action last year, Sweat returned four kicks for 80 yards and averaged 2.4 yards per carry at running back.