Advertisement

Bruin Decided He’d Rather Be the Hitter, Not Hittee

Share
TIMES STAFF WRITER

It wasn’t long after he stopped a line drive with his face as a high school junior that Craig Davis realized he probably had a more promising future as a linebacker than as a pitcher.

After his jaw healed--it was broken in two places--Davis reluctantly pitched in a summer league.

But “every time somebody hit a little dribbler through the middle, I’d jump out of the way,” said Davis, who was 5-0 as a junior for a high school team that won the Arizona Class AAA state championship. “I was a little gun-shy.”

Advertisement

Davis showed no such hesitancy on the football field, which eventually proved fortunate for UCLA.

Last Saturday night, the senior inside linebacker from Tucson threw his body in front of ball carriers so often that he wound up with a game-high 19 tackles in a 33-14 victory over Arizona State at the Rose Bowl.

Going into UCLA’s game against Arizona Saturday at Tucson, Davis has 68 tackles in five games, which leaves him on a pace to become the Bruins’ most prolific tackler since the 1978 season, when another inside linebacker, three-time All-American Jerry Robinson, made 161 tackles.

It wouldn’t be surprising, though, if most fans don’t remember most of Davis’ tackles. Small for the position, and not particularly fast, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Davis is more subtle than, say, a line drive in the face.

He relies more on positioning and know-how than on brute strength.

“I have a pretty good nose for the ball and a good understanding of what an offense can or cannot do out of a certain formation,” Davis said when asked to list his attributes. “I think I study film fairly well and pick up tendencies.

“Most importantly, I think I’m consistent. I know where I’m supposed to be, and nine times out of 10, I’m there.”

Advertisement

That’s an accurate assessment, said Larry Kerr, who coaches the Bruins’ inside linebackers.

“He’s a guy that you can basically count on,” Kerr said of Davis, who often went unnoticed last season, too, when he was the Bruins’ No. 2 tackler. “He’s got big-play capabilities, but he’s not a guy who catches your attention. He’s not flashy. He’s solid and consistent.”

Davis was more dominant at Tucson’s Canyon del Oro High School, where he transferred after spending his freshman year at Pacifica High in Garden Grove.

“When he’d take on a guard with a forearm shiver, a lot of times the kid dropped straight to his knees because he’d been hit so hard,” said Jeff Scurran, who was Davis’ coach in his senior year at Canyon del Oro. “Then he’d get rid of the kid and go make the tackle.”

Davis also was a fullback, paving the way for Marty Silvas, a 155-pound tailback, to run for more than 1,500 yards, Scurran said.

“He never did like playing fullback, but he was a devastating blocker,” Scurran said. “As a matter of fact, a lot of kids would run away from him. They’d turn their shoulders and shy away from him to avoid his block.

Advertisement

“He didn’t have a lot of technique or a lot of finesse, but he’d go in there and just blast people as the lead blocker.”

After the season, Davis was named to the Super 11, an all-state team picked by the Arizona Daily Star, and was recognized as the state’s outstanding linebacker.

Several colleges came calling, but Davis was disappointed that UCLA was not among them.

That changed after Scurran called Bill Rees, UCLA’s recruiting coordinator, and told him that he would find a nugget at Canyon del Oro, which translates from Spanish as Canyon of Gold.

That was on a Friday. Rees flew to Tucson the following Tuesday, took some film back to Los Angeles and called on Thursday to offer Davis a scholarship.

“He was a really aggressive player,” Rees said.

Davis turned down an offer from Arizona to sign with UCLA.

“I kind of just fell in love with the Bruins while watching the 1976 Rose Bowl and seeing (quarterback) John Sciarra beat the (Ohio State) Buckeyes,” Davis said. “I’d always worn UCLA T-shirts as a kid and always wanted to go here.”

Davis first displayed his nose for the ball as a redshirt freshman in the 1986 season. Although he was on the field for only 14 plays, Davis made six tackles in UCLA’s 31-10 Freedom Bowl victory over BYU.

Advertisement

As a sophomore, he was a reserve behind All-American Ken Norton but still managed to make more tackles than all but five other Bruins. Last season, Davis made 102 tackles, including a season-high 15 against Washington State.

He established a career high with his 19 tackles last week, earning high praise from Coach Terry Donahue, but the reluctant Davis insisted that his performance was nothing special.

“Our defensive line was keeping guys off of us,” he said. “Half the tackles were on cutbacks where I was unblocked. Your little sister probably could have made them.

“I was sound and I was staying square and doing the things linebackers are supposed to do. I played a little more under control, which allows you to make more tackles.”

Davis said that he was out of control and often out of position in last month’s 24-6 loss to Tennessee. The Volunteers went through the Bruins for 247 yards rushing.

“I didn’t get to where I was supposed to be--I lost my focus a little bit,” he said. “I got knocked on my butt a few times--I was driven and then knocked on my butt. That doesn’t usually happen to me. It’s never happened to me (before).”

Davis was depressed--”I think after that game a lot of people questioned us”--until he realized that he and the Bruins had 10 more games to redeem themselves.

Advertisement

If last week is any indication, he’s well on his way.

“I think the whole season changed in the week of the Michigan game,” Davis said. “We knew that if they could beat us by 50, they’d beat us by 50. And then we shut down their offense (before) pretty much giving the game away.

“Notre Dame is the No. 1 team in the country, and Michigan very easily could have beaten them. And we just as easily could have beaten Michigan. So, we can play with anybody. We proved to everybody that we didn’t (stink) this year.”

Davis’ next goal is to lead UCLA back into the Rose Bowl game. The Bruins haven’t been in it since 1986, when Davis and the other seniors were redshirting freshmen.

“We were kind of kidding around after we got our Rose Bowl rings,” Davis said. “We didn’t really have to do all that much to get them--just play on the scout team--and we were joking that we were going to have to get the fifth one fitted to our thumbs.”

It hasn’t turned out quite like they planned, but Davis has nothing to be ashamed of as he prepares for a return to Tucson.

He looks forward to the trip. He’ll attempt to line up tickets for 25 friends and relatives, including his parents, Gerald and Judy.

Advertisement

“It’s a chance to show everybody what you’ve done and show everybody what you’ve got,” he said.

And, of course, it’s also a chance to make a few more tackles.

Advertisement