Davis enjoys career day
LOS ANGELES – Fred Davis looks almost too big to be a tight end. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, the USC senior does a passable imitation of an offensive tackle. But he catches passes like a wide receiver.
He hurdles defenders like Edwin Moses – or Superman.
”(Davis) is just a stud,” said WSU tight end Jed Collins. “He did everything they needed him to do and a little bit more.”
All Davis did in USC’s 47-14 defeat of Washington State on Saturday night was catch two touchdown passes – the first time in his career – and grab nine passes – also a first – for 124 yards.
“He’s had a really steady career,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s always been a great blocker, but his athleticism was on display (tonight), just running by guys and over guys.”
With the Trojans leading 14-7, USC quarterback John David Booty connected with Davis about 5 yards downfield on a drag route. But cornerback Devin Giles, who weighs 92 pounds less than the tight end, came up fast to make the tackle.
Giles dove at Davis’ legs, but they weren’t there. Davis had hurdled the would-be tackler and was on the way down the sideline, where defensive end Matt Mullennix pushed him out of bounds.
Mullennix had dropped in coverage, but despite weighing just 8 pounds more than Davis, he couldn’t keep up on the route across the middle.
“I remember the catch earlier in the game when he came at me low,” he said, “so I knew this time he was going to be lowering his shoulder again, so I just tried to get up over him.”
Big numbers, wrong spots
When two guys combine for 23 tackles – more than a third of Washington State’s total – you would think they would draw some praise. Not so when the two are a cornerback (Chima Nwachukwu, with 13, 12 solo) and a safety (Alfonso Jackson, 10, all solo).
“That’s because they were throwing all those hitches out there,” WSU coach Bill Doba said. “They were playing off just a little too much. I think with more experience they’ll be able to come up.
“You know, Booty look out, see them off 9 yards, and stand up and throw. I could do that. I couldn’t throw it that well, but I could see that.”
Nwachukwu admitted he was well off the line, but he had a reason.
“I expected them to go deep, really,” he said.
Then he offered his explanation of the high tackle total.
“This was a game where back-side pursuit was the key,” he said. “I had to hustle, everybody had to hustle, on the back side because we knew people were going to be breaking tackles, that they would have opportunities to cut back, so we had to catch up with them on the back side.”
No happy returns
Well, it was somewhat happy – Charles Dillon running a USC kickoff back 48 yards to the Trojans’ 48-yard line late in the first quarter with the Cougars trying to keep pace in what was shaping up to be a game of touchdown trading.
But when Dillon, one of WSU’s swift wide receivers, found an open lane toward the left sideline and found himself 1-on-1 against USC kicker David Buehler, the obvious mismatch didn’t pay the expected dividend.
“Yeah, but their kicker can run a 4.4,” Dillon laughed, “so I guess I don’t feel so bad getting tackled by a kicker.”
When in doubt, change punters
Actually, there wasn’t much doubt in Doba’s mind when he decided to lift regular punter Darryl Blunt and replace him with freshman Reid Forrest.
“He dropped the ball twice,” Doba said of Blunt. “The other kid’s been punting the ball pretty well. You can’t drop the ball if you’re going to punt that thing. First thing you have to do is catch it, then you have to kick it.”
On Blunt’s second attempt, the snap slipped through his hands and hit him in the face mask, and USC tackled him on the WSU 20-yard line. Three plays later, the Trojans threw a touchdown pass for a 24-7 lead.
“I was a little surprised,” Forrest said about getting the call. “It was kind of wet and the ball slipped through his hands. He’s still the guy. I’m just filling in the best I can, and he was still coming over to give me tips.”
Forrest averaged 39.4 yards on five kicks, with a long of 44.
No time for heroes
The Cougars had just one official turnover – the botched punt not counting as such – but it was a significant one, even if it only led to a USC field goal.
WSU trailed 24-7 in the second quarter when quarterback Alex Brink tried to force a pass to Michael Bumpus on third down and saw it picked off by defensive end Kyle Moore.
“They only rushed three guys but they were able to get pressure,” said Brink, who was hurried by USC’s Averell Spicer and Lawrence Jackson. “That left a lot of guys in coverage and I tried to get out and make a play, but, obviously, I pressed too much. In that situation and that point of the game, that ball needs to be thrown out of bounds.”