Clark Lea provides critical injury update ahead of Georgia
Just as Vanderbilt’s offense started to find its footing under first-year head coach Clark Lea, the Commodores’ unit took a massive step backwards ahead of its Week 4 matchup with the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs: starting running back Re’Mahn Davis, a transfer from Temple, will miss the rest of the season due to a toe injury.
Davis had just started trending in the right direction for Vanderbilt, and he finishes the season with 44 carries for 211 yards and a touchdown, along with five receptions for 27 receiving yards.
In Davis’ absence, the Commodores will roll with sophomore running back Rocko Griffin. Davis entered the season as Vanderbilt’s backup running back, as presumed starter Keyon Henry-Brooks was returning. However, Brooks would later enter the transfer portal, leaving Davis as the starter.
Davis first announced that he needed season-ending surgery via Instagram on Monday night.
“My time here at Vanderbilt has been spent putting in hard work both on and off of the field. That hard work has been shown this season but has not come without struggles,” Davis’ post reads, in part. “Unfortunately, my season has been cut short due to recent injuries requiring season ending surgery.”
Davis in the first quarter of Vanderbilt’s contest with Stanford entered the injury tent with what appeared to be a left knee issue; he has worn a brace on his right knee for games this season. However, he would later go back into the game in the second quarter and execute a highlight-worthy spin-move, fooling two Stanford defenders. In the second half, he emerged from the locker room wearing a walking boot, ending his night.
Head coach Clark Lea confirmed the injury news in Tuesday’s press conference, saying that Davis would need surgery on a torn ligament in his toe.
“Ray had a consult with our doctors yesterday evening. He’s going to have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his toe, and that’s going to put him out for the year. I am hurt for Ray, and he’s really battled through some nicks all season,” Lea said of Davis. “He’s a smart player, so he’ll be like another coach on the field.”
Lea said that both “Rocko [Griffin] and Patrick [Smith] have been featured in [Vanderbilt’s] offense to this point,” but with Griffin next-in-line on the depth chart, the 5-foot-9 back from Rincon, Georgia is likely to take the place of Davis.
Despite going winless in a COVID-abbreviated, conference-only schedule last season, Vanderbilt may have put together its worst offensive showing of the past two seasons in Week 1. The Commodores lost to FBS East Tennessee State University, and in that game the stagnant offense was able to generate just 85 rushing yards on 31 carries, with 58 yards coming from Davis. But Davis and the Commodores have bounced back in the past two weeks; Davis finished with 17 carries for 77 yards in a Week 2 win over Colorado State, then he had his best game as a Commodore in Week 3, posting 107 yards on 19 carries against Stanford.
Davis played two seasons at Temple, but only finished his freshman year before announcing his intention to enter the portal four games through the 2020 season. In 2019, Davis earned first team freshman All-America honors from Pro Football Focus, tallying 271 carries, 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns, coupled with 243 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
After Henry-Brooks transferred to Louisiana Tech and Davis sustained an injury, Vanderbilt is left considerably short at halfback. Griffin got some playing time as a true freshman last season, and has 28 carries for 131 yards this season. Behind Griffin lies only two true freshman: Patrick Smith and James Ziglor, and Ziglor III, and Ziglor arrived at Vanderbilt as a defensive back (he was converted in the preseason to running back).