by Joey Papania
LSUsports.net
A little less than two weeks ago, the LSU football team was handed a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the UAB Blazers on a last second field goal. The Blazers were undoubtedly a team that the Tigers should have completely out-manned.
To make matters worse, in the immediate future loomed a pair of SEC powerhouses, Tennessee and Florida. At the time, the Vols were ranked No. 11 with their only loss of this young season to head coach Steve Spurrier’s Gators, who boasted a No.3 ranking. Many felt the Tigers would need a miracle just to survive the next two weeks.
That miracle came in the form of Rohan Davey.
In just the second SEC start of his collegiate career, Davey put the Tigers on his injured back and carried LSU to a 38-31 overtime win against the Vols in front of a nationally televised audience. The junior finished the night 23-of-35 for 318 yards and four passing touchdowns.
“We knew it was going to be a tough streak once we hit Tennessee, because there are no cupcakes from here on out,” Davey said.
Unfortunately, the road that led Davey to this point was filled with adversity. Last season began with uncertainty concerning the starting quarterback position. After winning the first two games of the 1999 season, LSU would go on to drop their next eight games, ultimately leading to the dismissal of then-head coach Gerry DiNardo and the majority of his staff.
In a game that many fans and media would just as soon not played to put an end to the ’99 campaign, Rohan Davey led the Tigers in grand fashion past Arkansas dashing any post-season hopes the Razorbacks had. Davey finished with 224 yards on 10-of-12 passing and three touchdowns.
But an off-season knee injury had Tiger faithful weary of a healthy 2000 return for the Miami, Fla. native. However, with the help of the LSU training staff, Davey returned to the football field earlier than expected. His hard work during rehabilitation has carried over to the field and given him the mental toughness to persevere under pressure.
“I think it really helped me on Saturday,” Davey said. “My knee wasn’t really bothering me, but my ankle was killing me. Those tough days out there in the summer, when my knee was killing me, helped me push through on Saturday because the pain in my ankle wasn’t as severe as my knee was.
“There were times (during the summer) I was frustrated. But I have a gift from my mom in my room, like a prayer, that says something like, ‘I am God; today I will handle all your affairs. Don’t worry about anything.’ That was the kind of mentality that I took throughout the situation. I always thought to myself that whenever I got my shot, I would be ready.”
Even during those times when Davey waited patiently for his opportunity to shine, he always kept a positive attitude. And his teammates respected and built upon his leadership.
“I never lost confidence in myself,” explained Davey. “And my teammates never lost confidence in me. So if you are willing to stand by me to lay it on the line, and you believe I can do it, and believe you can do it, we are going to get it done. The only difference is when you are playing you can take a greater responsibility, execute and really get the job done. Even if you are not playing, though, you still believe in what you are saying because you believe in who is out there. It’s a team thing.”
This weekend, Davey heads home to face the Florida Gators, a team that once recruited him out of high school, albeit very briefly. The homecoming will see many family and friends of the Tiger quarterback, including his mother. This will not be the first time Davey’s mother will have the opportunity to see her son in a Tiger uniform, but it will be the first time this season she will have the opportunity to see her son play. Mrs. Davey was in attendance for the Houston game, which saw Josh Booty go the distance as the Tiger’s signal caller.
“She was disappointed,” admitted Davey. “But through everything she has been through it wasn’t a great disappointment for her. She was more worried how I was feeling and how I was taking it all. She was just happy to come up and see me because it had been a while.”
The Tennessee victory has definitely left a sweet taste in the mouth of LSU players, coaches and fans. But Davey knows better than anyone that the Tigers need to start looking ahead to the next challenge.
“I agree totally when (head coach Nick Saban) says that its real hard to refocus after a big win. Even tough we are still thinking about it to some degree; we have to put it out of our mind because we are going down to the Swamp. It doesn’t get any easier. But all it takes is a little bit of assurance from one of the leaders on the team, and everyone is going to believe.”