Virginia Tech Football: Scot Loeffler Hopes for Some Injury Luck at Running Back Ahead of Military Bowl

The Hokies haven't put on the pads for a game since Black Friday, but even with an extra three weeks of time off, offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler still faces a dire situation at running back.

"There hasn't been any change since the season," Loeffler said during a teleconference Wednesday. "Right now we're still in the same predicament as we were during the Virginia game."

That predicament lies in the fact that J.C. Coleman, Sam Rogers and Joel Caleb remain the only viable tailback options.

With Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams out until 2015 (at the earliest) with torn ACLs, the staff surely hoped to get a boost from the return of veteran runners Trey Edmunds and Jerome Wright for their matchup with Cincinnati in the Military Bowl.

Edmunds was working hard to return for both the Wake Forest and Virginia games, and while it seemed like he was closing to making his return from a clavicle injury, he's still limited in practice.

"He's been practicing on a limited basis," Loeffler said. "Is he a go right now? No. Are we hoping? Yes."

Coleman's performed beyond all expectations when asked to carry the load in the running game, rushing for 311 yards in just three games, but that doesn't mean that Loeffler doesn't desperately want some more depth at tailback.

"Right now we will take anybody that can come back and help us contribute to make a play or two," Loeffler said. "That list of who we have out, we'll take anyone off that list in a New York minute to help our football team."

Loeffler says Wright's also been limited during practice sessions, and while he hopes he can also return, his status also remains up in the air.

It's hard to believe that a player as far down the depth chart as Wright is suddenly such a in-demand contributor, but that's what this year of bizarre injury luck at the position demands.

"I've never had in the 16 or 17 years of doing this, I've never had the injury bug in one year that we had," Loeffler said. "I've never seen, without a doubt, what's happened at the running back position."

Yet the Hokies can at least thank their lucky stars that the quarterback position didn't suffer a similar fate until their final game of the year. But once both Michael Brewer and Brenden Motley suffered injuries against Virginia, things looked grim.

"We were almost in that same predicament at the quarterback position versus Virginia," Loeffler said. "We had Motley go down with a concussion/foot injury. Brewer's shoulder slid out and we were down to using Bucky Hodges in a wildcat look along with having to play (freshman) Andrew Ford."

Burning Ford's redshirt would've been unpleasant for the staff in the long term, and likely disastrous against the Cavs' talented defense, yet Brewer's toughness helped not just to keep Ford on the sidelines, but also sent the Hokies to a bowl game.

"Michael Brewer was as tough as nails in the fourth quarter," Loeffler said. "What he did in the fourth quarter was pretty remarkable considering that his right shoulder slid out of place."

The only comparison Loeffler could even muster for Brewer's tenacity was watching Chad Henne's persistence back in 2007 as quarterbacks coach at Michigan.

"He wasn't able to lift his arm above his head the entire season and he wasn't practicing during the entire season, and he'd go in and play on Saturdays," Loeffler said. "What that kid did was unbelievable."

Considering that Henne was able to throw for nearly 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns while nursing that injury, that's a heady comparison.

But Loeffler is no stranger to shoulder troubles himself as a former signal caller, and he appreciates that fortitude when he sees it.

"I've had shoulder problems, had shoulder surgeries," Loeffler said. "You start messing around with that shoulder, it's difficult to be accurate, it's difficult to have enough velocity on the football, and it's mentally weighing on a guy whenever your arm's bothering you. So what he did in that fourth quarter, not a lot of people could ever appreciate it unless you played the position and realize how vital that shoulder is."

While Brewer gets the bulk of Loeffler's praise for playing through pain, he's got plenty of kind words for the whole offense as well.

"My hat goes off to not just Brewer but the entire offensive unit," Loeffler said. "I believe that was the second most yards Virginia's given up, I think they're the second best defense that we played during the season. You can argue Miami (was the best)."

Most impressively, the Hokies managed their third highest offensive output of the year with 433 total yards (the top two totals came against cupcakes William and Mary and Western Michigan), and now the team is trying to add another solid offensive showing to close out the season.

"I think it's crucial that our guys go out and compete with everything we've got and we've got to find a way to make enough plays to get a victory," Loeffler said.

The Bearcats' defense has had plenty of issues this year, so the Hokies might have an opportunity to build some momentum in the bowl. But Loeffler cautions that while some stats aren't kind to Cincinnati (they're giving over 447 yards per game, a mark that ranks 102nd nationally), they've improved throughout the year.

"Without a doubt, they've improved throughout the season," Loeffler said. "They started out slow and as the season progressed they improved. They're giving up some yards, but the impressive item, the thing they do the best is they've got a great red zone defense."

The Bearcats are indeed sixth in percentage of scores allowed on chances in the red area (strangely enough, Tech is right behind at seventh), letting team's score on just a little over 70 percent of their trips inside the 20.

"They're forcing teams to kick field goals, so whenever we get down in the red area, I think it's going to be crucial to score touchdowns rather than field goals, particularly with how productive their offense is," Loeffler said.

But going out on a high note with a bowl win only counts for so much. As any coach will inevitably preach, the best part of the bowl is the extra practice time for the young guys, and the Hokies certainly have plenty of those on offense.

"I think it's absolutely critical that we won the Virginia game for just that purpose," Loeffler said. "Any extra work that Cam (Phillips) can get, Isaiah (Ford) can get, any of the guys that have been redshirted can get, I think is invaluable. This has been a great time to get our young guys better."

Yet as Loeffler watches his youthful offense practice, it seems that he's also seeing the vision he had for the offense when he was first hired two years ago slowly come into focus.

"When I walked in here two years ago, I saw that third year, you really felt you could put together a really solid unit," Loeffler said. "I think we're beyond close."