AUBURN, Ala. – Jarrett Stidham believed in Ryan Davis long before the two became Auburn's most prolific passing and catching combo.
"Jarrett tried to recruit me when he was at Texas Tech. He was a commitment at the time," Davis recalled.
Fortunately for Auburn, neither player ever lined up in Lubbock, Texas. Davis, from St. Petersburg, Florida, signed with the Tigers out of high school. Stidham came to the Plains after playing his freshman season at Baylor.
In 24 games together, they have combined for 141 completions, the most in Auburn history. With 13 receptions against Georgia, Stidham and Davis passed Auburn's iconic duo, Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley, who teamed up for 140 catches from 1969-71.
"For me and him to have that tandem just shows how much work we put in, and in the offseason as well," said Davis. "Just a testament to both of us, how much we care about it, and the trust factor we have with each other."
Both players learned of their shared record after the game.
"All I do is throw an object to Ryan, he makes things happen," Stidham said. "Hats off to Ryan for making that happen. You have to give credit where credit is due. For Ryan and myself, obviously it's the offensive line - everybody works together, coaches included. Anytime you can make history, that's certainly something special."
Davis was equally complimentary of his quarterback.
"Jarrett's a great guy," Davis said. "He brings his lunch pail every day to work. Being with him, he's such a great talent, great person, and I just love being around him."
Davis, who will be honored on Senior Day Saturday before Auburn's 3 p.m. game vs. Liberty, is the Tigers' all-time leader with 165 receptions.
"I definitely put the work in to get where I'm at," said Davis, who led the SEC with 84 receptions as a junior in 2017. "It took some time to get to this point but it was definitely all worth it. My junior year, that was my breakout season. I knew it was my opportunity to set myself apart out there, try to be the player I know I can be and I think I've done that so far in my career."
Stidham and Davis have three more games to add to their record before Davis' Auburn career concludes after a bowl game.
"Whenever we're old and gray, we'll be able to look back and say that we made history," Stidham said. "Somebody's probably going to come down the road and break that record. But it is certainly special to share it with a guy like Ryan."
Breaking a record previously held by Auburn's first Heisman winner and his legendary favorite target further magnified the experience, Davis said.
"They're Auburn legends," Davis said. "To be mentioned in the breath with those two guys says a lot. I'm definitely familiar with Sullivan and Beasley. Sullivan has a statue, you can't help but know."
141: Jarrett Stidham and Ryan Davis have more combined completions than any quarterback-receiver tandem in Auburn history.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
