BY DARRYL SLATER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

BLACKSBURG – Billy Hite stood on Virginia Tech’s practice field Monday afternoon and watched his No. 1 tailback, sophomore Darren Evans, run wind sprints at full speed.

Hite, Tech’s running backs coach, liked what he saw. He felt optimistic about Evans fully returning to practice yesterday, after he spent three practices in a blue jersey, prohibiting him from contact while he nursed the left knee that he injured Friday.

“I’m licking my chops again,” Hite recalled about anticipating Evans’ return during the wind sprints.

Evans came back as planned yesterday, but the practice Hite had been waiting for ended in the worst possible way, on a routine play: Evans ran a pass route, planted to cut, slipped and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

An MRI later revealed the tear and the crushing reality for the Hokies: Evans, their leading rusher last year, will miss the rest of the season. He redshirted as a freshman, so he will be a junior next season.

Tech’s backfield remains deep, but instead of bringing back a player who last season ran for 1,265 yards (a Tech freshman record) and 11 touchdowns, the Hokies now must rely on sophomore Josh Oglesby, he of 38 career carries for 88 yards; redshirt freshman Ryan Williams; and true freshman David Wilson.

Evans originally injured his knee Friday by stepping on a teammate’s foot. Those who saw Evans go down feared the injury could be serious. Tech’s trainer, Mike Goforth, summoned two doctors to the field. But before yesterday’s practice, Goforth said their examination revealed no ligament damage and just sprained soft capsular tissue around the knee.

After Evans tore his ACL, Goforth said the ligament was weakened before yesterday’s slip. He declined to comment further.

Hite returned to his office after last night’s practice and reviewed video footage of Evans slipping. He believes it wasn’t a serious enough slip to cause an ACL tear and that Evans actually tore the ligament Friday.

“That’s the first thing I said the other day,” said Hite, who is entering his 32nd season coaching Tech’s running backs. “I’ve seen too many injuries like that. Just the way he went down, I thought the other day exactly what it was.”

But because Evans’ legs are so strong, Hite said, “I’m sure the muscles masked what really happened the other day. … A normal person, that leg would fall off. It would be that loose.”

Hite said Evans looked fine as he worked his way back over the weekend, running sprints and routes well enough for Goforth to clear his return.

Now that Evans is finished for the season, Tech is left with pressing questions about its backfield. Can Oglesby, who has been itching to play more, make good on his opportunity? Can Williams deliver on the potential he showed during spring practices? And can Wilson, a talented prospect who now almost certainly will play, adjust to the college game quickly enough to contribute?

“You can’t ever have enough good backs,” Hite said. “They’ll probably be better now that they know they have to get themselves ready to play. They don’t have to count on Darren the whole time.”

The backfield would be more experienced had senior Kenny Lewis Jr. been able to return after tearing his left Achilles tendon midway through last season. But a series of setbacks will keep Lewis, who has 175 career carries for 657 yards, out until at least midway through this season.

Evans, too, is left wondering why. “It’s devastating,” Hite said. “And obviously he is right now. … The boy’s put so much into it. Just doesn’t make any sense.”

Despite his own bewilderment, Hite tried encouraging Evans last night. “We’re gonna fight our [butt] off,” Hite recalled telling him, “and you’re gonna be back out there next year.”

Here is the story for tomorrow on Evans’ injury, including quotes from running backs coach Billy Hite.