April 2, 2010
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Sometimes the brutality of football giveth and taketh away from one person to another. A devastating injury to one player just means an opportunity for another - no matter how bittersweet it is.
Such is the case with the tailback position at UCF where standout Brynn Harvey is out the rest of the spring with an injury to his knee. The downer for Harvey is a positive for blossoming tailback Jonathan Davis and powerful runner Brendan Kelly. That's the way the trio of backs are looking at the situation as a way of coping with it.
``It's a sad situation for Brynn because we're like brothers,'' Davis said after a recent practice. ``But it's also a great opportunity for me, and that's how I have to look at it now. If I stay in my playbook and do my schoolwork, I think I can start at running back.''
Harvey, a junior next season, injured his knee on the first play of a scrimmage a week ago. The hope is that the back who ran for four 100-yard games and a stellar 219-yard effort against Memphis will be back by early next season.
But for now, the job belongs to the speedy Davis, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound dynamo of speed and power. And then there's Kelly, a 6-foot-3, 231-pound bruiser who has already impressed head coach George O'Leary with his hard running.
``I've been really pleased with Brendan Kelly because he really gets it up in there and runs North and South pretty well,'' O'Leary said. ``Jonathan has a lot of potential, but his biggest problem sometimes is himself. He's not a real detailed guy, he gets sloppy and has to grow up. But he does show spurts of being a really good football player.''
Davis and Kelly, both sophomores next season, offer UCF a differing one-two punch of speed and power. Together, they have helped soften the blow of losing Harvey, one of UCF's quiet, workman-like leaders, this spring.
``It's sad the way it happened because of Brynn's injury, but we just have to look at it as an opportunity to go and play well,'' said Kelly, a Shoreham, N.Y. native.
Davis, who came on as one of UCF's biggest second-half surprises last season, said he tried to comfort Harvey after learning of his knee injury. The two grew close last season while splitting carries in the UCF backfield.
``We were together all day (earlier in the week) and he's sad. He's really down,'' Davis said of Harvey. ``He's like a brother to me, and it hurts me too. We push each other and really compete because we want to do good. He's my brother and he's pulling for me now. He told me that I had to go in there and hold it down for both of us.''
Davis, a Lawrenceville, Ga., native, didn't have a carry in the first six games of last season, but finally got his chance to start the Texas game when Harvey was out. He ran for 71 yards that day and ran for at least 70 yards in three of the last four games.
``I always knew that I could do it. I've been a fighter all my life and me getting into the rotation last year was just my willpower,'' Davis said. ``The coaches told me if I did the same things this season I'd be splitting time with Brynn, but now that he's hurt, I guess I'll get more of a chance.''
Despite his relative small stature, Davis proved to be a powerful runner capable of running through arm tackles and bursting through holes. He's worked hard this spring to become even more of a power back, taking his squat lift max from 405 to 480 pounds and his bench-press max from 285 to 325 pounds.
Davis said he isn't worried about the rigors of becoming a workhorse back for the Knights. He said facing UCF's nationally acclaimed run defense every day in practice has prepared him for a long season as the feature back.
``With Bruce Miller and those guys over there on our defense I have no choice but to get used to taking that pounding,'' Davis said. ``I feel like I face the best defense in the conference every day, especially with Bruce, Derrick Hallman, Chance (Henderson) and Lawrence Young over there at linebacker. They make me better.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.