Warren is day-to-day with knee injury

Virginia Tech center Beau Warren, who has missed the past two games with a left knee injury, said Tuesday that he was unsure if he would return for Saturday’s game North Carolina State.

Warren, a fourth-year junior, has been practicing this week in a blue, non-contact jersey and described his condition as day-to-day. He said his knee felt “all right” on Monday and that it has been feeling better each day.

Warren suffered a Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee against North Carolina on Oct. 29. His leg was pinned underneath a pile near the Tar Heels’ goal line in the third quarter; he did not return to the game.

“I heard a pop,” Warren said of his knee. “So I was like, ‘Well, it’s probably torn.’ It’s a good thing they require us to wear these knee braces, otherwise my knee, no question, would have been blown out.”

Warren received an MRI exam a few days after the North Carolina game. Since then, he has been limited, either wearing a green, non-activity jersey at practice or not practicing in order to work with the trainers.

Warren has been running on an anti-gravity treadmill, the AlterG, which simulates weightlessness. Running back Darren Evans, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August, also worked on that machine during his recovery. Warren started running at 50 percent of his body weight and gradually worked up to full weight.

In Warren’s absence, redshirt freshman Michael Via has started each of the past two games at center. Warren, who started every game before the injury, praised Via’s performance.

“He held his own definitely – and more,” Warren said. “He’s a great player. He’ll be really good.”