Davis Starts for the First Time This Season, Plays Versatile Role in OSU Win

Running back Cameron Davis couldn't find the end zone for the first time in four games, but he landed in the starting lineup for the first time in a year and one of the few occasions in his career.

All in all, this University of Washington football player switched roles with Wayne Taulapapa, letting his fellow back become the Huskies' designated scorer for a change with a pair of rushing touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over 24th-ranked Oregon State on Friday night at Husky Stadium.

Still, the 6-foot, 208-pound Davis got robbed when it came to adding to his own Pac-12-leading 10 TDs, but he still played a huge role for the UW (7-2 overall, 4-2 Pac-12).

Early in the second quarter, the Huskies drove for their first score and Davis picked up a yard to the OSU 4. In the process, a Beavers defender yanked off the back's gold helmet and sent it rolling on the ground — forcing him to leave the game for at least one play as protocol demands

In this case, he watched for two snaps as Taulapapa twice ran for 2 yards and scored to tie the game at 7.

Davis stood on the sideline, celebrating his teammate's good fortune, but wondering what had just happened to him.

"It's unfortunate — that's obviously never happened to me in my life, so it was kind of frustrating," he said of having his helmet so rudely and untimely removed by an opponent. "But Wayne got the job done so I'm happy about that."

Davis and junior edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui both were new starters this week against the Beavers (6-3, 3-3) with Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff never hesitant to change things up.

The sophomore running back from Rancho Cucamonga, California, previously had started just twice in his Husky career, drawing the first offensive play against Boise State in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl and opening at Colorado last season.

"It means a lot, but we're all ready to go," Davis said after making his first start at Husky Stadium. "Every back in the running back room is ready to go. I just got my number called so I decided to make the most of it."

He led the Huskies in rushing against Oregon State with 11 carries for 55 yards, nearly breaking one on the 18-play, 97-yard, game-winning drive at the end and settling for a 15-yard gain.

He caught five passes for 27 yards, three of them coming on that late drive for victory.

Davis returned three kickoffs for another 80 yards, with a long of 30 yards on one runback.

He was busy all night long. In particular, his diving 6-yard catch on third-and-6 at the OSU 15 inside the final minute of play was a final dagger for the Beavers. That helped get the UW close for Peyton Henry's 22-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

As the fastest and one of the most physical UW running backs, with his 4.4-second, 40-yard speed, he's being groomed more and more by the DeBoer staff to be the No. 1 guy back there.

"We want to have the weight on our shoulders," Davis said. "We want to carry the team when we have to. We knew this was going to be a big week for us considering the weather and the wind."

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