Florida State is desperate to get the run game going. A big, bruising back like Kam Davis could be part of the solution.
The Seminoles will sorely miss a versatile and elusive runner (and pass-catcher) like Jaylin Lucas, who is out for the season with an injury. But after the bye week, FSU coaches are now trying to figure out which three running backs will take on the majority of the playing time.
Davis was FSU’s running back on the first drive of the third quarter against Boston College, a sign that the coaches feel good about what he can do in pressure moments.
“I just think it’s trust,” Davis said. “I work hard. The guys in the room push me to be able to be ready whenever my name is called. Coach YAC (David Johnson), he trusts me a lot.”
Davis has seen the field but has just a few carries, four for 11 yards (most of them on an 8-yard run). He also has one reception for seven yards.
But it’s realistic to expect those numbers to grow beginning on Saturday against Memphis (noon on ESPN). FSU coaches perfer a three-back rotation, and it’s likely they will keep Lawrance Toafili and Roydell Williams in the mix. FSU could lean more on Davis or Caziah Holmes. Micahi Danzy is also an option, now that he has been elevated from the scout team.
Davis has impressed FSU’s coaches with how he’s learned the playbook and practiced.
“I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Kam,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “He’s going to continue to increase his role. He’s really a special player. He doesn’t play like a freshman.”
Davis doesn’t look like a freshman, a well-built 5-foot-10, 224-pound back who can sling the football (he was his team’s quarterback in high school) and picked up pass protection in the spring and preseason camp. He thinks FSU’s practices have prepared him to be a blocker and protect the quarterback.
“What we do in practice, the physicality in our pod drills, that’s what helped me,” Davis said. “Being in space against the linebackers, it’s just us and the linebackers. They have different moves that they can make. They can bull rush. And practice is a lot tougher than the game. … in practice we make it a lot harder for ourselves than it is in the game.”
Going into the season, Davis was the likely pick to be the FSU freshman with the most production in 2024. So far, 19 yards might not seem like much. But the opportunity could be there moving forward for Davis, who committed to FSU in Feb. 2021 and has visited more times than he can likely count before he signed in December.
Doak Campbell Stadium felt like home and the next few Saturdays could present the chance for Davis to be at home as a fixture in FSU’s offense.
“I was calm, I was confident,” Davis said of his debut on Labor Day. “Being around Doak Campbell Stadium for so long I knew what the atmosphere would be like. Just being in the stadium, I knew what to expect. It led up to what I thought it would be. Going out on the field and seeing it for the first time in person, it wasn’t too much to handle.”
FSU fans seeking improvements to gameday experience will see it Saturday
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