Michael Brewer always has a good sense of humor during interviews. Despite missing the last four games due to a broken clavicle, he was in midseason form while meeting with the media on Tuesday night.

"Getting hit is part of football," Brewer said. "I'll be alright. This thing (pointing to his shoulder) will buff out."

Despite the fact that he returned to practice on Tuesday and is throwing in pads for the first time since his injury, Brewer has yet to be cleared to play on Friday. That will be determined by his progress throughout the week.

"We all got reps today," he said. "We'll see what happens on Friday. It's still pending. I've still got to see the trainers and doctors before I can officially be released to play, but I felt good today."

When asked if he was going to play against the NC State Wolfpack, Brewer remained coy.

"I don't know yet. We'll see."

Brewer got off to a hot start against Ohio State, throwing for two touchdowns in the first half while leading his team to a 17-14 halftime lead. However, he broke his clavicle on Tech's first possession of the second half, and things haven't gone as well for the Hokies over the last two weeks.

When asked if the last two games have sped up his return, he responded simply: "It's been tough to watch."

Tech's #1 quarterback was throwing and running 10 days after surgery. Despite his return to pads on Tuesday, he still doesn't know what it will be like to take a hit. How quickly he returns will be determined by how his body responds to taking those hits. The Hokies normally don't let their quarterbacks get hit in practice, but because of his injury, they have to make a special exception for Brewer.

"We're going to have some mats laid out, and basically I'm going to have to get hit and fall on them and see how it feels, then get some more X-rays and see how everything looks."

That might not sound pleasant for a guy who was injured just a month ago, but Brewer is itching to get back on the field.

"I'm looking forward to testing it out," he said. "I think I'll feel good. I've done well so far with rehab...I've got a lot of metal in there now, so that thing's pretty sturdy."

Over the last four weeks, Brewer has alternated between being in the booth with Scot Loeffler and being on the sideline with Brenden Motley. Though he hopes to be ready for Friday night's game, he'll also be willing to resume his coaching role if he isn't cleared to play.

"Hopefully I'll be ready to play, but if not then I'll put the headset back on and try to coach my tail off out there and help the team win."