South Carolina sophomore running back Mike Davis rushed for 128 yards on only 15 carries Saturday in a 34-16 win over Mississippi State, further cementing his status as one of the Southeastern Conference's elite young players.
Only twice all season has Davis been held under 100 yards -- by Vanderbilt and Missouri -- and the visiting Bulldogs were not nearly up to the task on Saturday. Davis never found the end zone, but he broke a 43-yard run for his longest carry, and had a 30-yard reception, as well.
The performance put Davis over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, for a total of 1,058, with three regular-season games left to play. It marks the 10th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history.
"Going over 1,000 yards, it means a lot," Davis said. "... I knew sooner or later it would come to me."
Davis isn't shy about admitting he's had the 1,000-yard mark circled. Not only Saturday, but in the Gamecocks' last game against Missouri as well. As this video published by gogamecocks.com illustrates, Davis feels anything but pressured by his newfound starring role:
Davis (5-foot-9, 215 pounds) averaged 8.5 yards on the day. Barring injury, particularly if South Carolina qualifies for an extra game in the SEC title matchup, Davis should have one of the most prolific rushing seasons in school history by season's end.
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