After the Trojans' blowout win, tight end Fred Davis was surrounded by reporters at midfield.
It was the first time he'd been stopped all night.
He didn't even know how to respond to the first question he was asked because he'd never been the star of a game.
"I haven't done this before," Davis said with a big smile. "So I don't know."
It showed how far Davis has come since he was a homesick freshman just three years ago.
He came in during 2004 as a highly touted wide receiver from Ohio but had a far-from-perfect freshman year.
His biggest problem was missing flights back to Los Angeles on weekends and holidays. And it wasn't just a few flights, either - he missed seven in a row.
But the coaching staff soon found a remedy for that problem.
"He doesn't miss any more flights on breaks because he doesn't go home anymore," USC coach Pete Carroll said with a smile. "That's how we settled that one."
But for Davis, it feels like ages since he'd been in Carroll's doghouse.
"It's been a long time since then," Davis said. "I just came along and [Carroll] helped me mature and become a man. He just really helped me out a lot so I really appreciate the choice I made to come here."
The Washington State defense, though, probably isn't too happy about his choice to stick with USC.
Davis had a breakout game Saturday in the Trojans' 47-14 win over the Cougars, setting career highs in receptions (nine), receiving yards (124) and touchdown catches (two).
Davis' performance also gave him the distinction of gaining the most yards ever by a USC tight end in a single game.
It was a perfect night for Davis.
He made all his blocking assignments, and all nine times the ball was thrown to him, he caught it.
And once he caught the ball, it took a gang of tacklers to take him down. On one play, he simply hurdled over a defender, and on another, he stiff-armed a defender to the ground on his way to a 20-yard gain.
"The thing we want Freddy to do is run with the ball, you know, get him some space," Carroll said. "You can see he's jumping over guys, bouncing off people and making things happen."
Davis was simply too big for cornerbacks to cover and too fast for linebackers to stick with.
"I felt like a wide receiver tonight," Davis said. "I was just glad to do anything I could to help us win, whether it was blocking, catching or whatever."
Davis' nine catches were more than any USC receiver had the entire season entering the game.
Davis was clearly John David Booty's go-to receiver and seemed open over the middle on just about every pass play.
He has always been a weapon for the Trojans but was often overlooked because of the great receivers he's played with, including Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith last season.
"In the past, he's had to kind of live in Dwayne's and Steve's shadows and all those guys that came before him," Booty said. "Now he's the veteran, the older guy getting his number called on. If he continues to play the way he did tonight, I'm expecting great things from [him] the rest of the year."
Davis is primed for a great final season, which is long overdue.
Davis knows, however, he can't be the star of every game.
It's not because he's isn't good enough, but because the Trojans always take what defenses give them, and sometimes that means not throwing to the tight end as much.
The Trojans like to go with the hot hand, and it seems to change every game. Most of the time, it's not even planned. Even Davis' breakout night wasn't exactly game planned.
"We didn't go in thinking Fred would catch nine balls - it happens," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. "Guys get open, and they get kind of hot and you just start working them."
That's what makes USC so difficult to defend. Opposing defenses never know who will be the breakout player, because often the Trojans don't know either.
You just have to be ready to have your number called and Davis was ready Saturday night.
"He's one of the best tight ends in America," Carroll said. "We don't mind going to him in tough situations, and tonight was just that night for him."
But Davis knows he's been in tougher situations than that.
Maybe that's why he made it look so easy.
- To comment on this story, visit www.dailytrojan.com or e-mail Rhett at rhettbollinger@gmail.com.
