LEXINGTON, Ky. — It didn’t take long for Malik Davis to redeem himself.
One week after fumbling at the goal line against Tennessee, the freshman running back out of Tampa’s Jesuit High emerged as UF’s leading rusher in UF’s 28-27 win at Kentucky on Saturday.
Quarterback Luke Del Rio, who came in midway through the game and led the Gators on back-to-back touchdown drives, said Davis was making tacklers miss when UF needed it most.
“He was turning runs that should be maybe a yard, maybe two yards into five-yard gains,” Del Rio said. “That's how we won the game.”
Davis finished the game with a season-high 21 carries for 93 yards and caught one pass for 11 yards. But most importantly, he was able to avoid costly turnovers like the one from last weekend that came at the end of a 72-yard run. Davis tweeted that he made a mistake and learned from it. “Won’t happen again,” he wrote.
McElwain didn’t plan to rely heavily on Davis to start the game. Davis was given just one carry (that went for a loss of two yards) in the first quarter, while the Gators fed sophomore Lamical Perine. But Perine and second-string back Mark Thompson ended up combining for just eight carries, while Davis was tasked with keeping Florida in the game in the fourth quarter.
“(Davis) was just kind of in there and rolling so we went ahead and stayed with them,” McElwain said.
Davis’ ability to run the ball has turned heads in the past, in addition to the sold-out crowd of 62,945 at Kroger Field that witnessed his breakout game. Davis averaged a staggering 8.5 yards per carry in high school, setting the Hillsborough County career rushing record in the process.
Defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson said Davis was carrying the team and seemed to play better as the game wore on.
“I feel as if he's one of the top backs in the country already as a true freshman,” Jefferson said. “I hate going against him in practice every day, but I love watching him out here on these Saturday evenings.”
Davis may be a freshman, but he played with the poise of a veteran down the stretch. On Florida’s last offensive drive, the team was down 27-21 and forced to go for it on a fourth-and-1 with about a minute remaining in the game.
Davis didn’t just move the chains; he picked up 7 yards to the UK 14-yard line. Two plays later he picked up 5 yards on a crucial third-and-1 to set up Del Rio’s game-winning pass to Freddie Swain that left the Wildcats just 43 seconds to make a comeback they couldn’t deliver.
“The night was definitely a statement game for Malik Davis,” Jefferson said. “I love you, Malik”
Contact Matt Brannon at mbrannon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
Malik Davis carries the ball during Florida's 28-27 win against Kentucky on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
