Rush to judgment

Sporting News, The, August 26, 1996 by Marc Hansen

He had a tranquil summer vacation. But whenever anyone back home in Miami tried to tell Troy Davis, 2,000-yard rusher, that real Heisman Trophy candidates don't attend Iowa State, his response was short and to the point Nebraska 62, Florida 24.

In Davis' mind, the Fiesta Bowl fiasco wasn't much different from a sunny Saturday in Lincoln, Neb., two months earlier. At least the score wasn't

Nebraska 73, Iowa State 14.

Translation: Those 2,010 yards, the most in NCAA history by a sophomore, did not come easy. Say what you will about his team, this was a big-league back, gaining big-league yards against big-league competition.

"The Big Eight was a power," Davis says. "Nobody down there believed me until the Fiesta Bowl. Iowa State did almost as well against Nebraska as Florida. Maybe we should go down and play them and see what happens."

Then again, maybe not. Not just yet, anyway.

Iowa State was anything but a power, which is the main reason Davis finished fifth instead of first in the Heisman Trophy voting. The only other 2,000-yard rushers in NCAA history--USC's Marcus Allen, Nebraska's Mike Rozier, Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders and Colorado's Rashaan Salaam--won the Heisman.

What's more, all played for winning teams. Only Paul Hornung won the Heisman while playing for a losing team. And his losing team had a winning name--Notre Dame. For Iowa State, Davis was the bright light in a 10-watt season.

"I'd compare him with Barry Sanders," Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride says. "He hides well behind those big linemen. With such great acceleration, he's hard to find.

"I think he's a stronger running back when he makes contact than Barry. He uses all his strength. A lot of backs just use their legs. But he uses his legs and shoulders."

Iowa State running backs coach Kirby Wilson says Davis' work ethic "is unbelievable superior, unmatched. His durability astounds me. He reminds me of a machine that always produces, like turning on a television or a computer that always works."

Click. Three-hundred forty-five carries ... and only two fumbles. "Unbelievable, almost unheard of," Iowa State coach Dan McCarney says. "For as many physical hits as he took, as many gang tackles, as many carries, it's amazing. It really is."

Even more amazing is the disadvantage Davis faced compared with rival running backs in the league. They had the luxury of facing Iowa State's defense, statistically the worst in the nation last season.

With the season only an onsides kick away, football fans want to know--can Davis do it again? Can he become the first player in college history to stack one 2,000-yard rushing season atop another?

Sorry, wrong question.

Try this one instead: Does Iowa State want him to do it again? And this one: Is it in the team's best interests? That's the real issue.

The answer to both questions: Probably not. Not if it means another 3-8 season.

The headlines in the school's football brochure tell the story of Iowa State's autumn.

Davis nets 180 yards rushing, but ISU falls at TCU

Davis gets 139 yards, but ISU falls to Iowa

Davis gets historic mark, but second-half Sooner surge decks ISU

Davis remains nation's rushing and all-purpose leader, but KU sinks ISU

Cyclones challenge No. 9 Colorado as Davis rushes for 203 yards

Davis gets his yards, but No. 1 Nebraska runs past ISU

Davis gets 183 yards, sets records, but ISU falls to KSU

Davis hits 2,010, joins Neisman-studded 2,000-yard club

The day Davis hit 2,010, Iowa State lost to Missouri by two touchdowns. It was the Tigers' first and only conference victory.

"It Troy gains 2,000 yards (again)," Wilson says, "we're not a very good football team."

It doesn't have to be that way. The four other 2,000 yard rushers all played for very good football teams. Unlike Davis, none was the sole offensive dimension.

When Sanders was at Oklahoma State, receiver Hart Lee Dykes and quarterback Mike Gundy formed the core of a potent passing attack.

Wingback Irving Fryar and quarterback Turner Gill played with Rozier at Nebraska.

Receiver Michael Westbrook and quarterback Kordell Stewart helped take the pressure off Salaam at Colorado.

At Iowa State last season, Davis was it. With quarterback Todd Doxzon limping in and out of the lineup, Davis was almost the entire offense.

"We need to pass more, and we will," Davis says. "Doxzon will be healthy, and he'll be throwing to two good receivers, Tyrone Watley and Ed Williams."

Doxzon is elusive, though injury-prone. Watley is a transfer who caught 38 passes as a junior at Pacific, which dropped football after last season. Williams, another athletic Floridian, could be one of the top receivers in the league.

Davis certainly hopes so. Last season, he not only saw the defenses keying on him, he heard them.

"It's going to 28," opponents would shout.

"The ball's going to 28."

McCarney yearns for the day when only his players know where the ball's going. "It's not one of the goals we set--Troy Davis don't run for 2,000 yards," he says. "But with more balance, more efficiency and productivity in the throwing game we think we can be more effective offensively. We were really one-dimensional last year. Take a big-play back who rushed for 2,000 yards, put him with a consistent, healthy quarterback and an offensive line that can protect, and you have a better chance to dictate."