Ray Davis shows the college football world he’s a Heisman contender vs. Florida

Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis has been something else, and that continued in a big way vs. the No. 22 Florida Gators, who sported one of college football’s best run defenses.

Coming into Week 5, the Gators ranked 22nd nationally in yards per rush allowed (2.9) and 15th in rushing yards allowed per game (82).

Davis was torching those by the end of the first quarter, highlighted by his career-best 75-yard scoring run. He finished the first quarter with 143(!) rushing yards to help Kentucky build a 16-0 lead, which was effectively enough to win as the Cats ultimately pulled off a 33-14 victory.

Davis finished the game rushing for 280 yards on 26 carries (10.8 avg) with three touchdowns vs. a Florida defense that had surrendered just four rushing scores this season. He also caught a nine-yard touchdown, as he alone outscored the Gators on this day.

Through the first five games of the season, Davis now has 594 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 146 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. After having a big game against a ranked Florida team and his stats so far on the season, there is no question he should be mentioned in the Heisman race.

Coming into the day, Davis had +12,000 odds to win the Heisman at DraftKings Sportsbook, tied for the 33rd-best odds. I’d say he’s going to be higher come next week after this performance vs. a top-25 Florida team while also keeping Kentucky unbeaten at 5-0.

Although still early, to have a player rushing over 100 yards per game shows how well the run game has been this year. With Davis having to replace Chris Rodriguez Jr., many people were wondering if he was up for the task.

With the help of the offensive line stepping up, Davis has shown he is the next great running back at Kentucky with a Heisman performance against Florida.

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