Collegiate Times

As Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor suffocated under the Kansas pass rush, Orange Bowl fortunes began turning ugly on national television for the Hokies sputtering offense.

That was before Branden Ore took field in the second quarter and gave his quarterbacks some breathing room.

Ore would provide Tech's only productive source of consistency on offense, rushing for 116 yards in three quarters despite the fact that the Hokies trailed throughout the duration of the loss.

Now that Beamer has given the beleaguered Ore the boot, he and his staff must find a way to replace a player who was on verge of breaking the school rushing record.

Yesterday, as the Hokies opened their spring practice, that process began.

Ore's backups, Kenny Lewis Jr. and Jahre Cheeseman, are the only backs on Tech's roster to have rushed the ball in a college competition.

Last year Lewis rushed 57 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns, while Cheeseman carried for 133 yards -- 70 of which came on Tech's longest run of the season. Both are now considered by running backs Billy Hite to be among frontrunners for the starting job.

Hite -- a man whose helped develop 24 running backs who have entered the NFL -- said he considers Lewis to be the hardest working player he's ever coached.

"It's about who's going to be the most consistent," Lewis said. "I want to go out there and prove that I can make that guy miss, prove that I can pick up that linebacker on the blitz, and prove that I can be there to catch the ball when it's thrown to the running back."

Two other backs jockeying for the first slot were redshirted just a year ago. Coaches rave about Josh Oglesby's weight room determination, and about how Darren Evans' resume -- which includes EA Sports National Player of the Year after a 62-touchdown season as a high school senior -- speaks for itself.

This year's signing day also proved fruitful for the Hokie backfield, as Tech snagged Ryan Williams, who is rated as the No. 3 high school running back in the country by Rivals.com.

"He makes people miss and he's got great speed and runs by people," Hite said. "Of course, he also has the power and strength to run over people."

The prized recruit out of Manassas, Va., will have a tough slate of competition in an extremely deep Hokie backfield this year, and his redshirt status remains uncertain.

"I think the key to those kinds of guys is that they've never been in pass protections, and our backs are involved in pass protections a bunch," Hite said. "It'll be interesting to see how fast he picks everything up, but -- as a pure running back -- he can play as a true freshman."

Last season, Ore was initially projected to be the number one running back, but drifted around the depth chart reportedly because of injuries and missed practice. The most notable instance earned him a suspension from the first quarter of the 2008 Orange Bowl

The hidden benefits of this missed time now figure to reveal themselves, as Kenny Lewis Jr. and Jahre Cheeseman each received extra experience to apply to their upcoming senior and redshirt junior seasons, respectively.

"It's a big opportunity, a big spring for all the running backs in general," Cheeseman said. "You just got to be ready when it's your turn."