Clemson's Davis not done yet
James Davis said before Clemson’s 23-20 overtime loss to Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl his decision on whether to enter the next NFL draft might depend on how many carries he received in the game.
James Davis got 23 carries Monday night at the Georgia Dome.
More than all other Clemson ballcarriers combined.
More than any two Auburn rushers combined.
Evidently, the 72 yards rushing and the 1-yard touchdown run that gave Clemson a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter were enough to keep the junior tailback from Atlanta happy despite the loss.
“I still haven’t done my (NFL draft) paper work yet. I still have to sit down and discuss it with my family,” Davis said after the game. “I’ve just been focusing on this game and I didn’t have time to think about it.”
James Davis was asked if the Chick-fil-A Bowl was his last college game. He shook his head.
“No, sir,” Davis said.
He has complained at times over the last two seasons about a lack of carries, but said he “got a positive feeling” from Monday night’s game.
“I love my teammates,” Davis said. “Everybody worked hard in this game.”
Including backfield mate C.J. Spiller, a sophomore who led both teams in rushing with 112 yards on only eight carries.
Spiller scored Clemson’s first touchdown on an 83-yard run in which he turned no gain into one of his dazzling sprints down the sideline.
“I looked up on the scoreboard video and saw there was a guy behind me,” Spiller said. “So I had to speed up a little.”
It was a day for the record books for both Clemson running backs.
Spiller’s run was the Tigers’ longest bowl game scoring play, eclipsing a 68-yard pass from Harvey White to Gary Barnes against Texas Christian in the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl.
Davis broke a tie with Travis Zachery (1998-2001) to move into second place on Clemson’s career rushing list. Davis has 3,130 yards. Raymond Priester rushed for 3,966 yards from 1994-97.
Davis notched his second straight 1,000-yard season, a Clemson feat achieved only by Zachery and former quarterback Woodrow Dantzler.
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