Shai McKenzie left the field against Western Michigan with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After the game Virginia Tech announced he had a sprained right knee, and would be re-evaluated today. According to McKenzie on Twitter, that evaluation did not yield positive news.
I am done for the season with another ACL injury. I trust that god will not let me down #HokieNation #Salute pic.twitter.com/mIgrd3RT6N— Sept 19 (@VT_McKenzie22) September 28, 2014
Less than an hour later, Virginia Tech confirmed McKenzie was indeed done for the season. According to Virginia Tech, team doctors will let the swelling in the knee subside before operating in October. Shai will miss spring practice.
Shai had been the most effective ball carrier for the Hokies this season. The shifty, explosive and powerful freshman leads Tech in rushing touchdowns (3) and is averaging 5.1 yards a carry. McKenzie rushed 18 times for 95 yards Saturday before he injured his knee.
The 5-11, 221 pound tailback tore the ACL in the same knee early in his senior year of high school. McKenzie enrolled at Tech in January and was limited during spring practice while he rehabbed. He was cleared for full activity at the end of spring ball.
Comments
Well, crap.
Hope he makes a full recovery. And hopefully he knows that Hokie Nation is behind him, he's shown so much promise that we hate to lose a talented guy like that. I'll be rooting for him!
Terrible news for a great runner. the good thing is he is in good hands at Virginia tech. the medical staff will get him to 100% soon. I'm pulling for shai to get well soon.
Well that sucks. Hope it's a quick recovery for the guy. We will need him next year.
Damn. Tough break for Shai. Unfortunately, he cannot medical redshirt either since he played in more than 30% of games.
He's a strong kid and will work to come back better than before.
If we win the ACCCG and go to a playoff, we may be able to get an exception for him.
There is only 7 games going currently and "Last Play" for 3 of them are TDs.
Is today going to be one massive shootout?
Uhhh... wrong thread?
yes.
Man that sucks.
People in the know: Does sustaining an injury like that make you more likely to have another one?
Research suggests that it does.
http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/aug13/clinical1.asp
I'll defer to Shoog and the TKP medical contingent for anything else, but I have read several reports like this one in the past.
Great pull, GuitarMan.
Data there show about a 30% chance to injury when returning to play within 24 mths-(there wasn't another time cohort-time to return was not the focus of the study.) Interesting that female athletes had a propensity to injure the opposite knee.
I've seen other data that suggest NFL players that suffer an ACL actually end up with stronger knees post injury/rehab.
I'm not an ortho, but the difference is suggested to be the care and type/intensity of rehab that the athletes have available versus the typical Joe Schmoe.
It's Shai's right knee again, but at this point, he will be in the hands of Goforth and Co. and VT has an excellent staff available to him.
I really hate if for him, but he'll have the time and resources to allow him to return on a reasonable time table and perhaps be stronger.
I'd say so. Tony Gregory comes to mind. Hopefully he'll come back better than ever.
Superstition suggests that Shai should change numbers.
When I tore my ACL, I was told that I am 50% more likely to tear my other ACL. My sister tore both of hers, I still have only had the one. Tearing an ACL just shows that you are susceptible to a tear. I'm not sure what it says when you tear the same ligament twice though.
Love watching him run the ball. The way he attacks people in the hole just gets me fired up. Hope he gets healthy for next season.
Minor setback for a major comeback. Godspeed Shai, Hokie Nation is there for you.
Godspeed in your recovery, Shai. Know that we all are with you
Sad news and the roster lost a good running back today, but get well Shai
Former Hokies RB's in the NFL seemingly couldn't catch a break from the injury bug after graduating. Now it's hurt us twice, both instances being pretty severe. I hope they take their time with him, get him 100% healed and let him ease his way back. He's special when he's running unrestrained.
Yep, maybe use next year and a half to rehab get fully healthy. That would put some separation between he Williams and Edmunds.
I hate everything. Get well soon Shai
Anyone still want to move Trey to defense? Depth is almost as important as a good starting 11. Get well soon Shai
I bet you someone on GC is still shouting that to whoever may listen.
I'd be cool with it. Caleb, JC, and Travon are all still on the team.
As much as I worry about Caleb never getting a real shot at starting, I'll still take the proven commodity of Edmunds over an unknown. While he might not be a future Heisman winner, he's a solid runner and good in pass pro
(Note: my phone tried correcting heisman to Grossman. What a riot this thing is)
Yup, agreed. I wonder how UCLA has that runbacker playing both. I just don't think we'd be in dire shape if Trey had been a defender, or had been moved to a defensive role when the freshmen came in.
If he had been moved already, maybe not. Last year could've been even more of a shit-show though, and I don't think it's a good look to move a starter to a new position just because new toys arrive
Too many running backs
iswas a good problem to have, but a problem nonethelessWell, if you take out Edmunds, VT is left with one tailback we really trust (Williams) and one we're excited about but still an unknown (Caleb). There's no way Trey is gonna move when he's essentially all that's keeping the RB situation stable.
Damn it! I sure hope he makes it all the way back and that this didn't happen from not being fully recovered . He was having a great game and we will miss him!
Here's to Shai coming back just as strong as another #22 who sustained an ACL tear. Shai works hard, let's hope he can get back out there with a full recovery.
Damn. Hang in there, Shai. I can't help but feel we rode him a little too hard too soon. I hope that's not the case though. He came back once he can do it again. Just a temporary setback.
VT football officially announces that it is another ACL tear:
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/recaps/20140928aaa.html
Question...is this a case where he rushed back too soon? Should we just make him sit next year so he can fully recover and improve his long term knee health (and career prospects). Love to watch him run, but if needs to take extra time to get better, that's more important.
Agreed. Even though it hurts the team, I'm always more concerned about the player. This kid has a bright future playing football. Hope he doesn't rush to get back and risk his career.
The thing you see with Shai versus the other backs is incredible vision and feel for the position. Every time he touches the ball I hear angels sing. He has a chance to be a legendary back. Not good. Not great. Legendary. He's a game changer we need next year and it makes you nitpick his not redshirting this year and why he was in the game during that last series. I hope he gets better quick and this time he has to take all the time he needs til he's 100%. This really sucks but he needs to do what he needs to do.
I love Shai. I LOVE HIM.
But I think Marshawn is better. I think he's more patient, has better balance, and equals if not exceeds Shai's vision for where to take the ball. I'd like it if he held onto the ball a little better.
Ehhh...juice has missed as many cutback lanes as any of them. I like how he is always churning his legs almost strategically if that makes any sense.
There are things that Marshawn does better than Shai, but patience, balance, and vision are not any of those things, IMO.
Heh, I guess I should say 'patience' might be in the same vein as Darren Evans had patience. Shai runs over people better than Marshawn for sure, but Marshawn will seemingly find his way out of traffic every time he has the ball. I think there have been four or five runs he's made where I figured he was stopped, only to see him pop out of a crowd and earn some extra yardage.
Like I said, love Shai but think Marshawn is a little bit better.
Interesting you would compare MW to Daren Evans. I think SM is the one who is actually quite similar to Darren Evans.
MW to me is like a slightly bigger, better version of Josh Oglesby.
I like MW/DE and Shai/KJ comparisons. But the Oglesby comparison is apt
i think shai is a more polished runner from a technique standpoint and is just smooth. marshawn is more of a bull/china shop type of runner and gets his pads a little high at times. not sure if one is necessarily better than the other, they are both awesome in different ways. :-) kind of like Forte vs Lynch.
If Edmunds & Williams are healthy I'm all for that.
I feared that he reinjured it when it happened. I, too, am all for him redshirting next season and coming back completely healthy for 2016. Trey picked a damn good time to get back to his old self though.
I agree he should never have been playing this year. He's got the talent to be really special but I'm afraid this just ended his career. I hope to my own personal diety the U.S. Marine Corps that I am wrong.
Best of luck in a speedy and complete recovery, Shai. See you 'round the barn next year.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Shai!!! He will continue to be a great Hokie!
First things first, this absolutely sucks for Shai. My heart goes out to him and I hope for a speedy and COMPLETE recovery.
From a team perspective, the good news is there is not a precipitous dropoff between Shai and Juice. Shai had better burst, Juice has a stronger pop. Juice looks like a guy who can rush 25 times a game, and we'll need that durability.
After Juice it's a bit of a craps shoot. Everyone is saying Trey looks like he's back, but we're basing that on three carries against Western Michigan. I just don't think he's ready to jump to an equal share of carries as a number two tailback. Caleb looked promising, but again in very limited action. And JCC is a known commodity.
I said in another thread I think a three back rotation with 50% Juice, 25% Trey, 25% Caleb would be the best bet going forward. Yes, it risks tailback by committee and the inherent issues that brings, but it also plays it safe with not risking reinjury to Trey.
I'd be all for that 50-25-25 split for the next year and a half. Give Shai a whole lot of time to get his knee right and make sure we're not jeopardizing his long-term future, and hopefully get him back full-go for 2016.
Plus for depth year we have McMillan and Dj Reid coming off redshirts plus jc will still be around if needed. At least running back depth shouldnt be an issue going forward
Trey Edmunds will close to 50% of this distribution before the season is over.
I see this happening too, assuming he really is back. I just don't want too much too soon and then he blows a knee trying to favor his injured leg on his eighteenth carry of the game. Let's ease him back in as a co-number two. Let's see how he does work seven to ten carries a game. If it's all systems go, I see 12-16 carries a game by Black Friday.
I hate this so much for shai. I hope trey can step up back to his form from last year and be the #2 guy going forward
Shai delivered blows while Williams sort of absorbs and rejects the. Shai was the one who hurt th lb brant the first time he came out. Gave him a stinger. I will miss Shai this season but I hope Lefty remains committed to the run.
Take your time recovering after surgery, somebody will keep a spot on the bench for you!
Stay strong Shai. Hokie Nation is with you. We know you have the heart of a champion, so we look forward to seeing you back on the field.
Hope for his sake he has a full and speedy recovery.
is it too late for a redshirt this season?
I believe it is. It's either 4 or less or less than 4 games in one season is the limit. Something like that.
I think it's technically less than either 1/3 or 1/4 of your season. Because the rules cover other sports, too
The rule is 30% of the season, regardless of how many games. For every sport it's just 30% of the season. In a 12-game season, that's 3.6 games, or 3.9 games in a 13-game season.
So we need to win the ACCCG and get into the playoffs for him to qualify for a medical redshirt. You hear that Beamer? We need to crush everybody remaining on the schedule.
Not sure how the rounding goes for this. Make it to playoff semis and 30% is 4.2 games. Make it to the championship and it's 4.5 games. Not sure if everything above 4 gets rounded to 5 or what, but regardless, this is most likely a lost season for him.
correct.. no red-shirt for him he is done for the year and spring of 15 as well.
I asked this question of Stewart Mandel over at SI a few years back and I think it only covers the regular season
Get well soon, but take your time.
That wind you feel at your back is the support of the entire Hokie Nation!
Every year it seems we lose at least one really special tailback. Get well soon Shai. You are such a joy to watch and Hokie Nation is going to miss that extra boom every week
Seriously loved watching him run the ball. He has all the tools. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Before he got hurt I asked why was he still in the game I hate to say it but we manage to make some of the dumbest decisions.
I don't see how you can blame anybody for it, sadly freak injuries/accidents happen sometimes.
Because the game wasn't decided yet. We were 3 and out plus a quick score away from it being a ballgame.
Take your time healing, Shai. Trey and Marshawn will run twice as hard for you! People underestimate Trey. I think he's gonna have a break out year.
I feel sorry for the kid. They might not let him touch the field until the beginning of next season...like 1st or 2nd game. I can see the coaching staff being extra cautious with him. Oh well, he'll be "rocked up" by that time and be ready to stomp some defenders. Godspeed kid.
God dammit
And I mean that in the most sincere way possible. This kid busted his ass to get healthy after tearing that ACL and now its torn again only 4 games into his collegiate career. That's just awful news and seriously disappointing for him. I pray this is not career threatening, but 2 tears of the same knee ligaments within a year does not bode well. The good news is that people have come back from these kinds of situations before, stronger than ever. Someone needs to reach out to Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers and see if he wouldn't mind getting in touch with Shai and helping him through this rehab. That man tore his ACL in 3 consecutive years, and came back playing at a ridiculously high level the last few years, leading the Panthers to be one of the toughest D's in football (and apparently the key part, considering the crap they've looked like the past 2 weeks with him out). Hate to see this happen, but hopefully it all works out for him in the end. Hey, fewer reps in college might mean a brighter future at the next level, which certainly can't be a bad thing with the track record of VT RBs in the NFL.
Coming back from this injury is physically and mentally challenging. I can't imagine having to do it twice but he is young and has an excellent staff of trainers on hand 24/7 I'm sure. Praying for this kid. I love watching him run. I just hope he takes his time and does what is best for him and comes back when HE feels ready.