AUBURN, Ala. – Deshaun Davis might not be a first-round pick. Coming into the season, various NFL scouting reports had him going in the sixth or seventh round of the draft. But on Saturday against LSU, he was arguably the best player on the field for either team.
On LSU's second play, Davis pressured the quarterback and knocked the pass down behind the line of scrimmage. It resulted in a simple incomplete pass, but it set the tone. Later in that same drive, he made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. And every time he made a play or made a tackle or tackle for loss, the senior would jump up and celebrate.
"It gets us pumped," Auburn defensive lineman Marlon Davidson said. "It makes us want to make a play. I want to make a play. Anybody wants to make a play when Deshaun makes a play because you're going to know if he makes it."
"He brings that attitude every week," added teammate Derrick Brown. "He's our leader on defense. When we're on the field, he's making the calls and flying around doing his thing."
Davis did his thing on Saturday. He finished with a game-high 13 tackles with four tackles for loss, one sack, one pass break-up and two quarterback hurries.
And those plays he made time and time again came at critical times in the game. There was a third-and-3 where Davis saved a first down by tackling LSU quarterback Joe Burrow two yards shy of the marker. Late in the fourth quarter, he crushed Burrow for a three-yard loss on third-and-4. It seemed like every time Auburn needed a play, the senior linebacker delivered.
But the play that Davis will remember was the 71-yard touchdown pass that sailed just inches over his outstretched finger tips and into the hands of the LSU wide receiver.
"I've got to make that play," Davis said. "I put that on me. It's not totally my fault, but as a leader and an impact player, I feel like I'm expected to make that play. For whatever reason, I didn't. I've got to watch film, see what I did wrong, correct it and go on."
"He's going to (take the blame) because that's Deshaun," Auburn safety Jeremiah Dinson said. "But it could be my fault, too. I didn't make the tackle I was supposed to make. I could've stopped them in the red zone, and we could've had a chance to hold them to a field goal. But that's Deshaun, and it's not his fault. We play as a whole. We play as a defense – 11 guys. It's not his fault."
After playing the game of his life and giving everything he had, Davis was worried about the one play he couldn't make. Always hungry. Always striving to get better.
That's the type of attitude Auburn needs right now. Like the rest of his teammates, Davis was upset after Saturday's game. He wasn't in the mood to say much. But there's a lot of football still to be played, and it will be up to Davis and the other leaders on the team to turn the page.
"We've got to take the good from it," Davis said. "Correct the bad and put it behind us. Go to practice, watch film [Sunday], just like the same way you treat a win. Take the good with the bad. Take the good from it, correct the bad and go on to the next one."
The Tigers will return home next Saturday to face Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. CT.
.@AuburnFootball ILB #57 Deshaun Davis isn't going to have the measurables the NFL wants but when you see him play live you feel his passion. Teammates (and the crowd) feed off his energy. Both his HS coach and Auburn staffers say he's the smartest kid they've ever coached. pic.twitter.com/3jlZvsDTXJ
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 15, 2018
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf