Running backs coach JaJuan Seider has focused his attention on building depth in the backfield.

And with the status for redshirt senior running back Rushel Shell up in the air for this weekend against Kansas that will come into play more than normal.

Junior Justin Crawford and true freshman Kennedy McKoy have already proven to be more than capable of handling work out of the backfield and are coming off a game against Oklahoma where both eclipsed the 80-yard mark after Shell went down with the foot injury.

“I thought those kids went in and played well,” Seider said. “Getting Crawford back to 100-percent is going to be huge for us. We need them to step up to the plate.”

Throughout the year, both running backs have battled injuries of their own but haven’t flinched when given the opportunity to showcase what they can do.

“You don’t see big eyed kids,” Seider added.

Behind those two Seider plans to potentially give redshirt junior Elijah Wellman opportunities to carry the football after what the position coach calls his best game of the season against Oklahoma State with five or six knockdowns. It’s a role that Wellman has filled in the past and if Shell is unavailable could be a natural choice to siphon some carries against the Jayhawks.

Another option is the possibility of pulling the redshirt from true freshman Martell Pettaway. He has dressed the past couple games and has had an excellent attitude while learning on the sidelines. Seider said that had he not been injured during fall camp, there is a chance he would already be playing.

“He’s ready. He knows he’s the next man up,” he said.

And while that will work in the short term, the ultimate goal is to get Shell back and healthy whether that be this weekend or later in the conference slate.

“He’s a strong presence. He’s a strong presence in meetings, he’s practicing really well this year, he’s a strong presence in the locker room, he’s a strong presence on the sideline, he plays with anger and intensity,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.

Shell was unable to practice earlier in the week but how he has practiced this season is a large reason why he has become so dependable in his final year.

The Hopewell native has transformed into a model of consistency for the younger running backs on the roster to learn from and is playing his best football of his career to date because of the altering of his approach to the work week according to Seider.

“He was playing well and teams had to defend us different because of the way he was playing,” he said.

But for now the Mountaineers will treat Shell day to day and rely on the depth they’ve built.

“We’ve been seeing this out of Justin and you’re starting to see it out of Kennedy,” Seider said.