His name doesn’t often come up when talking about the great backs in the Southeastern Conference.
Instead you usually hear the likes of T. J. Yeldon, Todd Gurley and Jeremy Hill mentioned first.
But Mike Davis, a 5-foot-9, 215-pound sophomore from Lithonia, Ga., is the unassuming tailback who has been quietly going about his business by helping the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 5-1 record, a No. 11 ranking in the Associated Press poll and a No. 9 spot in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
Davis gave a preview of what he was capable of as a true freshman in 2012. He was fourth on the team in rushing with 275 yards on 52 carries and two touchdowns while playing in the shadow of Marcus Lattimore and Kenny Miles for most of the season.
This season however Davis is coming into his own.
He is the SEC’s leading rusher, averaging 123.7 yards per contest, with five 100-yard rushing games through the season’s first five contests, including a career-high 167-yard performance at UCF. He is second in the league in all-purpose yardage at 154.5 per game and is tied for second in scoring at 9.0 points per game. He has rushed for a touchdown in every game this season and has nine touchdowns on the year, eight behind Lattimore’s school record set in 2010.
Davis ranks 10th in the nation in rushing with 742 yards on 111 carries and is 14th in all-purpose yardage with 927 total yards.
It’s to the point where Steve Spurrier’s stock quote about Davis after every game is just like after Saturday’s win over Arkansas, the same.
“Mike Davis had another good game,” he said.
Did Davis expect to have this kind of success before the season?
“Yes, I expected it, but not the type of numbers I have been putting up now,” he said. “The more and more I play, the more the game slows down. I have been working hard in the weight room, outside running with guys. My coach expected me to have success.”
He has an explanation for his success at home, where the Gamecocks have won 14 consecutive games, the second longest streak in school history and the third longest active streak in the FBS.
“I would say it is because of our fans that come out and support us. They yell and scream and so we do the best we can for them,” he said while admitting the fans’ fervor puts pressure on him to produce big plays.
“Those are the things I look for and try to get highlight runs to make the crowd go crazy. All the credit goes to my offensive line. I’m not the only guy out there. It is a team effort. I think everybody on the team has confidence in each other. We trust our coaches’ calls. Whatever they ask for we do it. We look at each other as brothers and we go out there and perform.”
Davis has avoided the injury bug that dogged Lattimore’s career and has already knocked Gurley, Marshall and Jones out for the season. If he stays healthy Davis has a big supporter in his highly-publicized teammate Clowney.
“I’ve already told you we’ve got the best offensive line and with a weapon like Mike behind them they are clicking. He’s a threat to the other team and he’s going to continue to be one throughout his career,” he said.