Over the next two weeks, we will be examining the most indispensable player for every team in the Big 12. In other words, the player each team could least afford to lose to injury.

We’re knocking on wood before we turn in these posts; so no need to worry about a jinx.

We continue below with the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Most indispensable player: Safety Karl Joseph

2014 stats: 92 tackles (62 solo stops), 4.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one interception

Why WVU can’t afford to lose him: Joseph brings leadership, playmaking and experience to the Mountaineers secondary. He’s started every game he has played at WVU, bringing a physical tone and aggressive nature to the entire defense since his true freshman season in 2012.

The returning all-Big 12 safety has improved each season during his time in Morgantown, developing into an impact player in the running and passing game whom the Mountaineers can trust to cover receivers one-on-one yet make plays around the line of scrimmage. The senior's tone-setting play in the secondary helps K.J. Dillon, Daryl Worley and the rest of WVU's secondary have the freedom to show their skills.

Not only is Joseph a key leader on one of the Big 12’s most experienced returning defenses, his absence would leave a void that would be tough to replace. No player on the Mountaineers roster -- or quite possibly the entire Big 12 -- brings Joseph’s combination of starting experience, explosive hitting and desire to the table.