Carlton Davis has been through some changes for the 2016 season.
First, he changed his number from 18 to 6, just because he “wanted a single digit number.” He’s also had to be the veteran voice, a sophomore, in a young and inexperienced cornerback group.
So far, Davis has done his part. Auburn is allowing just 198.3 passing yards per game — the 28th-best mark in the country — compared to the 222.6 the Tigers gave up on average in 2015. Even though he’s been forced into a leadership role in just his second year, Davis says it’s the growth he’s made after being thrown into the fire as a freshman that’s made the difference.
“Experience definitely plays a part in that,” Davis said. “Also the chemistry I have with my teammates, we’ve grown so much as a defense and probably just, yeah, experience is probably the best thing, just seeing things over and over again and kind of knowing what’s going to happen, so that plays a lot into it.”
One thing he hasn’t been seeing “over and over again” is passes thrown his way. Davis has rarely been challenged this year, due in part to his reputation as a lockdown cornerback and partly because Auburn’s defensive line has been ripping through opponents’ offensive lines and hurrying the quarterback into making poorer throws, which hardly ever go Davis’ way.
That was the case last week against Arkansas. Razorback quarterback Austin Allen was pressured on nearly half of his dropbacks by Auburn’s front seven, and as a result he only completed 17 of 30 passes for 187 yards.
“It takes a lot of pressure off of us so we’re not covering for so long,” Davis said. “By the time I get my eyes back, there’s a play being made in the backfield, so that takes a lot of pressure off of us as a defensive back core. We’re really loving it and we’re proud of those guys and how they’ve improved.”
Davis will have his hands full Saturday with Ole Miss, however. Quarterback Chad Kelly is averaging 295.3 yards per game in the Rebels’ high-powered offense, but even if Auburn were facing a team that exclusively ran the ball, it wouldn’t affect Davis’ preparation.
“I kind of want to go in every week thinking, 'OK, this team wants to pass for 300,'” Davis said. “So there is no real different change in our preparation. We prepare for teams to try to for 400 yards on us every game. Just for Ole Miss, we're going to do what we do. We're not going to alter any preparations for them. They're a good team. We're just going to come prepared to play like they always do.”
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