I like what Ryan Clarke’s done for himself — an impressive mental, emotional and physical makeover after reporting unprepared last summer and redshirting as a freshman. When the season starts Saturday and WVU finds itself in a third-and-1 early on — you know that’s happening — he’s the guy who will line up at tailback and get the ball to pick up the first down. In the spring and in camp, it worked fairly well.

That said, I like him even more as a fullback.

He’s big enough and mean enough to do it and, best of all, he really likes to run up and knock someone backward to open space for a running back.

That seems to me to be a pretty significant part of the whole short-yardage equation, which is probably why WVU was so excited to see freshman Shawne Alston make the most of the reps Clarke vacated as he recuperated an ankle late in camp.

Alston (6-foot, 200-pounds) running behind Clarke (6-foot, 230) seems like a good idea to me, if not right away, which is understandable, then later in the season. This, after all, is why Alston is here. He knew he’d have a chance to be a short-yardage specialist this season after committing in June 2008 and watching WVU’s season unfold as it did.

Like so many others, Alston observed, cringed and even imagined himself in the backfield.

“I did it all the time,” he said. “I usually got them. Sometimes they broke for about 60 yards.”