The Red and Black

Terrell Davis would like to reveal a secret. He really

did play football for the University of Georgia.

Since being drafted in the sixth round and 196th

overall by the Denver Broncos in 1995, the running

back has emerged as the National Football League's

premier rusher.

But Davis left little, if any trace of his past in

Athens. He is mysteriously absent from a page listing

more than 165 Bulldog "jersey numbers to remember"

in this year's Georgia football media guide.

And while teammates Eric Zeier and Garrison

Hearst consumed virtually all of the teams' television

and scouting coverage while at Georgia, Davis has

jumped from the shadows to become what his former

teammates were supposed to be: pro bowl stars in the

NFL.

"The first thing people say to me is that, 'They didn't

use you the right way at Georgia,'" Davis said. "They

say I should have been used more and in different situ-

ations. I know that and there's no secret about it."

On Sunday, Davis returned

to the state as a professional

star - not the suffocated,

misunderstood Bulldog run-

ning back who was called on

to block for Zeier more than

take hand-offs from him.

Against the Atlanta

Falcons on Sunday afternoon,

Davis ran for 79 yards, one

touchdown and scored two

two-point conversions in a 29-

21 Denver victory. Davis

found the end zone on a 13-

yard scamper with 8:36 left in the first half, giving the

Broncos a 23-0 lead after his successful two-point con-

version run.

"He's a big part of (the team)," Bronco quarterback

John Elway said. "He's a great back, an all-around

back. He runs hard, blocks hard and he keeps getting

better offensively each year."

Davis' list of accomplishments in only his third sea-

son in Denver could not have been foreseen by anyone

at Georgia. In his 1995 rookie season, the 5-foot-11, 210

pound All-Pro rushed for 1,117 yards, making him the

lowest drafted player to rush for 1,000 yards in his

rookie year.

Last year, Davis captured the American Football

Conference's rushing title, running for 1,538 yards - a

Bronco record. During the Broncos' 13-3 season last

year, Davis was named the NFL's Offensive Player of

the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

In a stretch beginning in the third week of last sea-

son, Davis ran for 111, 137, 141, 112 and 194 yards in

consecutive games.

This season, Davis has gained 605 yards in five

games. If he were to stay at that pace, he would accu-

mulate 1,936 yards for the season.

Not too bad for the 20th running back selected in

the 1995 draft.

Bronco head coach Mike Shanahan said Davis'

numerous talents weren't brought out at Georgia, and

have been a a welcomed discovery for Denver.

"He can do everything you want from a running

back," Shanahan said. He can run, pass block, and he

can break tackles, but apparently we didn't see all that

because we drafted him in the sixth round.

While Davis' highly-touted Bulldog teammates,

Hearst and Zeier were drafted high and expected to

become stars in the NFL, it was Davis who entered the

league with few expectations from the Broncos' coach-

ing staff.

"It has been a smooth transition (to the NFL),"

Davis said. "I didn't have any pressure coming in here,

so now I'm just having a good time."

It was his rookie season when Davis was allowed

freedom to run under Shanahan's system, that finally

gave him confidence.

"After my first year, I knew that I had arrived in the

league," Davis said. "These are like my college years.

I'm doing now what I didn't do in college."

One reason why Davis' carries were limited at

Georgia was because of then-head coach Ray Goff's

over-use of Zeier and the passing-oriented offense.

In 1994, both Davis' and Zeier's senior season, Zeier

averaged 43 pass attempts per game, including four

games where he attempted more than 45 passes.

The Bulldogs won only two of those four games on

their way to a disappointing 6-4-1 season. Meanwhile,

a talented running back shrugged despairingly in the

Bulldog backfield.

"I just wish I could have played," Davis said.

Now he is playing, and he's showing Georgia and the

NFL why he's one of the best running backs in profes-

sional football.

Terrell Davis won't be the last former Bulldog to come

through the Georgia Dome this season. Here's a list

of Falcons opponents with the former Georgia

player(s) in parenthesis.

All games start at 1:00 p.m in the Georgia Dome.

Oct. 19 vs. San Francisco 49ers

(Running back Garrison Hearst, 1990-92)

Nov. 9 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(Receiver Brice Hunter, 1992-1995)

Nov. 23 vs. New Orleans Saints

(Receiver Andre Hastings, 1990-92)

Dec. 14 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

(Linebacker Whit Marshall, 1992-1995 and Offensive

lineman Guy McIntyre, 1979-1983)

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