Tacklers bounce off Cleveland Heights running back Marquise Davis, a UK commit who ran for 462 yards and eight scores Saturday. (Laura Saltines/One Nine Sports Photo)
Cleveland Heights (Ohio) coach Mac Stephens felt star running back Marquise Davis was playing “too timid” in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Euclid.
“I told him to quit dancing and make some moves and after that he had guys bouncing off him like it was a video game,” Stephens said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports.
Davis, a four-star recruit and Kentucky commit, ran 27 times for 462 yards and a school-record eight touchdowns in a 70-27 win over Euclid — and did not play in the fourth quarter. His final carry was a 79-yard scoring run in the third quarter.
His 465 yards rank as the 17th all-time single game rushing total in Ohio. He likely would have surpassed the state record total of 532 yards set in 2001 if Stephens had not taken him out of the game. Five of his touchdowns came in the first half when Cleveland Heights built a 42-21 lead.
“I was aware of the (state rushing) record but had to put any selfish desires aside and think about his future,” Stephens said. “I would have looked like a fool if he had taken a shot to his knee or re-injured his ankle in the fourth quarter. But if he had 35 carries who knows what he might have done. That’s why we pulled him when the game was out of hand
“I have been doing this for 25 years and been around some great players but this was one of the very best performances I have ever seen in person. What he did was incredible. He was feeling pretty good and we were just handing the ball off to him and he did his thing.”
Davis missed four games this season with an ankle injury and had 949 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 119 carries going into the game. His 39-yard scoring run on the game’s first drive put him over 1,000 yards.
The 6-0, 210-pound Davis got hurt in the first quarter of the season’s first game. Stephens said he is still not 100 percent but rushed for 335 yards in one of his first games back when he was at 85 percent.
“We just tried to be careful with him because he has a big future ahead of him. He is starting to get back in his groove,” Stephens said. “He managed to stay in phenomenal shape and now he is hopefully peaking at the right time.”
Davis rushed for 2,228 yards (8.8 yards per carry) and 35 touchdowns in 2023 but also made 91 tackles, intercepted three passes and broke up four more passes when he was named the Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year as a junior. He was a top 200 recruit going into the season.
“He went into this season with big expectations for himself. Even after he twisted his ankle, he was a phenomenal leader for us,” Stephens said. “He has led by example and his teammates feed off him.”
Freshman running back Elijah Harris, who had over 100 yards in Saturday’s win, already has a Kentucky scholarship offer.
“He has coached our young guy (Harris) up daily and helped him along the way,” Stephens said. “Big Dog (Vince Marrow) has taken a look at him (Harris) and likes him.
Stephens and Marrow are friends and communicate often.
“I am a big Kentucky fan and try to watch all the games I can. Last year we were more of a triple option team but we took some concepts from Kentucky’s offense and put in our offense that have worked really well,” Stephens said. “I like what Kentucky does. I know they are in a rough patch right now.”
That rough patch that has UK 3-4 after the loss at Florida has not impacted Davis’ feeling about the Cats. He had 30 scholarship offers when he picked UK.
“The communication with Marquise and Kentucky has stayed really good. He’s locked in with Kentucky,” Stephens said.
One Response
462 yards and 8 tds. That’s more than video game numbers. All he needed was one more big run and he would have broken the state record. If I was him I would have wanted to break the state record. That shows that he’s selfless already. I think he is the exact back that Kentucky needs. If he don’t come in next year and at least get 2nd team reps something strange is going on. I think now they need to play chip the rest of the season. If he only plays 4 games and they redshirt him that means he will be back next year. Wilcox will probably transfer because he’s is clearly not used enough. I think DSK has a year of eligibility left. Patterson will be back. I think Stoops is redshirting him now that we have so many backs. Davis is coming in as a home run threat but more powerful than Wilcox or Patterson. I hope he doesn’t get buried on the depth chart. We need to go after some good offensive recruits in the transfer portal. I would try to bring in 5 offensive lineman and at least 3 more wide receivers. I would also try to look for a good quarterback. Maybe the UNLV quarterback that only played 4 games. He was completely dominating. Vanderbilt found a gem in there quarterback. We need a quarterback that is a winner. That’s the main thing I would look for in a quarterback. Does he do whatever it takes to win?