Joe Imel/Daily News Western Kentucky’s Quinterrance Cooper (right) bobbles a pass as Rashad Etheridge defends Thursday. Cooper and other receivers worked with quarterback K.J. Black, who returned from a hamstring injury.

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Western Kentucky coach David Elson maintained during Tuesday’s WKU Football Media Day that he wants one quarterback to lead the team this season.

In almost the same breath, though, Elson admitted injuries have influenced the Hilltoppers’ quarterback outlook, making what once was a two-horse race a three-man sprint.

With the return of sophomore K.J. Black to the field Thursday for WKU’s second mini-scrimmage, all three signal callers - including senior David Wolke and junior Brandon Smith - split reps with the first and second teams for the first time in nearly a week.

Black’s return leaves the starting quarterback job as up for grabs as it was at the beginning of fall camp.

“We want to get everybody healthy and let those guys compete to see who our guy is going to be,” Elson said. “Now it comes down to a matter of consistency, and getting out there day after day and see what (Black) can do and see how that matches up with what David and Brandon are doing.”

Black - who entered fall camp as the leader on the depth chart - participated in essentially his first full contact practice of the fall after sitting out several days with a sore hamstring. Due to Black’s injury, Wolke - who missed all spring with a weight room injury - had taken most of the first-team snaps.

To make matters more interesting, Smith has been solid throughout the entire spring, summer and fall sessions.

Black said he was happy to be back on the field, but acknowledged has a lot of ground to make up.

“This felt like a first day for me,” he said. “I’m really trying to catch up to everybody. It felt good, though - this was my first full practice really and I’m just trying to get back.

“Yesterday was probably the first day I felt 100 percent with it, and I’m ready to go now.”

With Wolke and Smith playing well, Black said he got antsy while watching from the sidelines. Missing field time would only hurt his chances for the starting quarterback slot.

“I know the offense, but we add new wrinkles every day, and I just wanted to make sure that I know everything that everybody else knows,” Black said. “It’s different being out here than just watching film, so I really wanted to get back out and get those reps in.

“(Sitting out) has been killing me every day. I just wanted to get back out here and get back to where I was when we got started in camp.”

Elson said the team is in no rush to find the top quarterback, saying that the competition will probably continue all the way through fall camp. WKU opens its season Aug. 30 at Indiana.

“We’ll look at today’s scrimmage, and the scrimmage Saturday and the work next week,” Elson said. “We’ll do some things in practice to help us determine that.”

Injury updates

Black wasn’t the only Hilltopper to return after an injury Thursday. Senior linebacker Alonzo Higgins was in full pads for the first time this fall and participated in light hitting drills before the mini-scrimmage.

A few players are still nursing small injuries, most notably starting cornerback Marcus Minor (ankle).

“Marcus Minor’s getting close; we let Alonzo do a few more things today so he’s progressing back slowly but surely; a few lineman returned also,” Elson said. “Our training staff is doing a good job and the new training room (in the renovated Houchens-Smith Stadium) is really helping out.

“We’re fine, we’re not any worse off than we’ve been - I think we’re actually better off right now than I can remember.”

Other players not participating Thursday were wide receiver Jake Gaebler, who was resting with minor back pain, and running back Andrew McCloud, who appears to be nursing a slight leg injury.

Wide receiver Seth Tamme, who missed Tuesday’s scrimmage, was back in action Thursday.

Read WKU beat writer Nick Baumgardner’s Hilltopper football blog at http://bgdailynews.wordpress.com.