Photo by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech's Kenny Lewis Jr. stands on the sidelines on crutches after rupturing his Achilles tendon last Saturday.

BLACKSBURG -- Just turn it loose, kid.

Virginia Tech tailback Josh Oglesby has been hearing that line for weeks now from his coaches and teammates. The redshirt freshman says he's ready to unleash and let it fly.

In the wake of last Saturday's season-ending injury to starter Kenny Lewis Jr., Oglesby knows it's his time now that he's No. 2 behind Darren Evans in the Tech tailback line.

"Turn myself loose," a laughing Oglesby said following Tech's practice Tuesday. "Just go 100 percent every time I get the ball, run it hard, no thinking, just doing what you know you can do. I think that's what turning myself loose means."

While Evans, a fellow redshirt freshman who has run for a club-high 415 yards and eight touchdowns this season will remain the main man, Oglesby said he's excited to finally get an opportunity to show everyone what he can do.

"It will be a lot more pressure off my back when I get in the game," the stout 5-foot-11, 213-pound Garner, N.C., native said. "I feel like I can get a chance to actually get the flow for the game instead of trying to pop one every play and make something big happen."

Evans may be the lead bus, but running backs coach Billy Hite prefers to run a two-bus shuttle. Oglesby must be ready to roll.

"What I have to do is come out and show what I can do when I'm in the game," said Oglesby, who has carried only 15 times for 35 yards. "Before, I was trying to bust it big every time because I didn't know the next time when I would get the ball."

Lewis was present at Tuesday's workout, only three days after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in the Hokies' 27-13 win over Western Kentucky.

He's doing everything he can to help Oglesby prepare for prime time when No. 18 Tech (5-1, 2-0), which has a bye this weekend, plays at Boston College (4-1, 1-1) a week from Saturday.

"Kenny has been like Coach Hite, he's been a coach," Oglesby said. "He's spent plenty of hours with me in the film room, going over my assignments and making sure I know what to do. He's been a really big part of me and Darren's success.

"He just told me, 'Hey, it's time to step up ... it's time to do what you came here to do.' I pretty much know my role. He's down and I'm in now, so I've got to step up."

Lewis may be done playing this season, but he welcomes his new unexpected role being an assistant under assistant Hite. His No. 1 pupil is Oglesby.

"I think so," said Lewis, when asked if Oglesby is ready. "I tell him, 'Oglesby, you're 10 or 15 pounds bigger than I am.' I said: 'If you let yourself loose, the sky is the limit for you.'

"Some people just need a confidence boost, let them know they can do it, that it's not a mistake that they're here. It's just get the mental part down. He's bigger and stronger than any of the running backs that we have."

Lewis is walking with the aid of a walking boot on his lower left leg.

He said he will undergo surgery in the next week to 10 days and face rehabilitation that could take as long as eight months.

"Coach Hite said he wants me at practice ... the meetings," Lewis said. "Just be with the guys, the other running backs, so that's what I'm going to do for him."