Facing former team is next challenge in Ray Davis’ quest to be one of nation’s top backs
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Game day: Kentucky 35, Akron 3
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Akron football game at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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It was only fitting that on the 50th anniversary of the facility formerly known as Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky football quarterback Devin Leary evoked memories of some of the most exciting Wildcats to play in the stadium.
Doing his best Jared Lorenzen impersonation in the third quarter, Leary stayed on his feet despite at least four Akron defenders getting a hand on him in the backfield long enough to find running back Ray Davis alone just a few yards in front of him. Simply completing the pass when it looked like Leary had been sacked would have been considered a win, but Davis was not satisfied with only returning to the line of scrimmage.
Davis made one defender miss then cut back across the field. A couple of key blocks paved the way for him to run down the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown on what had looked certain to be a double-digit-yard loss.
It was a play that was months in the making.
“Me and Dev talked about it actually the first day we moved in,” Davis said. “We sat in my car and we just talked about, hey if there’s some little plays that break down, just try to be somewhere in that void where I can just get it to you.”
Davis, a transfer from Vanderbilt, and Leary, a transfer from N.C. State, developed a quick chemistry when they arrived in Lexington in January. Leary drew most of the attention as the player recruiting to replace Will Levis, but the hole Davis was attempting to fill might have been even bigger.
Former Wildcat Chris Rodriguez left Kentucky ranked third on the program’s career rushing yards list. Between Rodriguez and Benny Snell, the program’s career rushing yards leader, Kentucky had thrived for most of the last six seasons with a work horse back who shined when breaking through tackles and gaining tough yards.
Davis showed his potential to Kentucky fans when he rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown in Vanderbilt’s upset of the Wildcats last season, but there were still doubts about his ability to replace Rodriguez’s production.
“I’m not Benny,” Davis said. “I’m not CRod. I’m not going to break 1,000 tackles. I’m not going to get those extra 5 or 6, 7 yards. That’s not me. I’m going to go out there and play my game and I’m going to be me. I think I kind of wanted to show that to the world and I think I kind of said it earlier too just about earning my respect.
“Key word there is earn my respect. Nothing is ever going to be given to me.”
Through three games, Davis has gained 236 yards and three touchdowns on three carries, but his work as a pass-catcher might be even more impressive.
Against Akron, he caught three passes for 97 yards and one touchdown, bringing his total to nine catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. No Kentucky running back since Boom Williams in 2014 (162) has recorded more receiving yards in an entire season.
“He’s just got a good feel and he’s got good hands,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said.
While it might be tempting to discount Davis’s early production due to the quality of competition Kentucky has faced in nonconference games against Ball State, EKU and Akron to open the season, he is already a proven quantity in the Southeastern Conference.
Last season at Vanderbilt, Davis was one of just four running backs in the SEC to rush for at least 1,000 yards. He topped the 100-yard plateau in four SEC games.
“He’s so consistent the way that he comes out to practice, plays every single day,” Coen said of Davis before the season opener. “He prepares at a high level. He’s a kid that I trust to go out there and take care of the football, do the right things.”
Less than a year after helping Vanderbilt snap its 26-game SEC losing streak in Kroger Field, Davis will try to help his new teammates avenge that defeat this week in Nashville.
“This game is not Ray Davis versus Vanderbilt,” Davis said. “It’s Kentucky football versus Vanderbilt football. That’s all that matters. When the last whistle (blows), I think my emotions will come out, but I can’t go in there thinking I’m just going to be this rah rah guy and it’s all about me. That’s never good. It’s about just going there and trying to get the W, doing whatever I can for the team.”
Kentucky will need Davis to carry that attitude into the game.
The Wildcat offense continues to operate at less than full efficiency. Coen offered a frank assessment of those shortcomings in his postgame comments after the Akron win — “This stuff is going to bite us in the butt when we start playing better football teams,” he said — and he made it clear players who prove to be reliable will continue to receive the most touches.
Davis has not been immune from some of the issues that have plagued the offense this season. UK coach Mark Stoops noted after the EKU win that two holding penalties on Davis runs were actually caused when Davis failed to follow blockers as the play was designed.
But his production has been a godsend for an offense that is struggling to run enough plays to get everyone involved.
Playing against his former teammates is the next chance for Davis to continue to prove he should be a focal point of the offense. His production might not look like what Kentucky fans have become accustomed to expecting from a running back in recent years, but his versatility might turn out to be even more valuable.
“I’ve got to keep having games like that to earn it and put my name in the conversation of being one of the top running backs in the nation or in the country,” Davis said. “Right now, I’m not there. Personally, I don’t feel like I’m there yet and I feel like I have a lot to do.
“I’m not perfect, but I’m evolving. I’m getting 1% better every day, and I’ve got to continue to do what I need to do myself. I think that will continue to show as time goes on.”
Next game
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
When: Noon Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 3-0 (0-0 SEC), Vanderbilt 2-2 (0-0)
Series: Kentucky leads 48-43-4
Last meeting: Vanderbilt won 24-21 on Nov. 12, 2022, in Lexington
This story was originally published September 17, 2023 at 6:45 AM.
