It is just past 8:00 and the night sky coats Tempe like a clear indigo canvas.
Arizona State football practice is being conducted in the after-hours thanks to a spike in humidity that hasn’t wavered since the previous Friday. Passing Dodge Chargers occasionally announce their presence over the gates of the Kajikawa compound, their mufflers a whimper compared to the crowd noise that will fill Sun Devil Stadium in just over three weeks. Sometimes, the sound of the vehicles is complemented by the roar of descending jet engines from above.
Junior Timarcus Davis is right in the middle of this scene, one of the twenty-two artists on the field that paint the picture of ASU’s fall camp.
Truth be told, the junior has a remarkably better perspective than anybody else in this setting. He plants his Adidas cleats directly at the goal line in the south end zone, five yards from the line of scrimmage; knees bent at a 45-degree angle. His arms are so long they reach the tops of his shins.
Yet, even with all these details at his disposal, Davis only gives attention to one: the spring-loaded hips of Chad Johnson Jr.
As Johnson crow-hops off the line and advances toward him, Davis flexes his fingers and stands his ground, emulating a basketball defender preparing to take charge. His eyes stay drilled to the redshirt freshman’s lower body, looking for a deviation in the pattern of his strides. And finally, Davis sees it; Johnson begins to slant inside, poised to explode across Davis’ frame, the ball already on its way.
Davis strikes, his arms shooting under Johnson’s armpits, watching his gloves obstruct the catch point. The ball sails into the turf behind them. A few moments later, Davis extends his arms outward from his chest as he mirrors the official to his left.
The attention to detail paid off.
Pass breakups are business as usual this year in the valley. Davis has racked up plenty of those himself over the last week, statistical proof of how much his presence impacts the starting lineup. Since arriving from Baylor two years ago, Davis has fully bought into what it means to play cornerback for the Sun Devils. He fits right in.
“Speed, technique, just being disciplined,” Davis said. “A lot of man-to-man. I like it. Most of the time, we are lining up; you got a guy right in front of you.”
Internal expectations for ASU’s defensive backs are high every season. This tends to happen when the team’s head coach suited up at the position at the pro level. The life and career of Herm Edwards set the standard for the group, and the players he inspires set the tone.
“There’s an attitude when you come out here that we’re the best,” Davis added.
In December, Davis was thrown into the starting lineup ahead of ASU’s second regular-season game against UCLA after starting cornerback Jack Jones was suspended for the rest of the 2020 season due to team conduct reasons. Davis performed well and demonstrated major improvement in coverage at the boundary. He finished 2020 tied with Chase Lucas for a team-high five passes defended and had 16 tackles in four games. Defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins said the way Davis played “leaves him excited” for an expanded role this season.
“I think TD did a great job coming in as a starter when the whole Jack-Jack situation went down,” Hawkins told Devils Digest in January, “and he really proved himself and built up some trust when it comes to our staff.”
That confidence from Hawkins moving forward has helped Davis realize and work toward his potential.
When the Sun Devils set up in a 4-2-5 alignment in practice, Lucas is the player that handles the slot cornerback responsibilities. That means when Davis jogs onto the field for nickel packages, he is usually the player to take the outside assignment. The result: zero touchdowns allowed in the first week of practice and no memorable deep pass completions to speak of.
“That always helps a player when your coach is like ‘I know you can do it.’ You realize like, ‘oh, I can actually do it.’”
The isolation reps that are required of a boundary cornerback can make or break a player, but Davis has risen to the occasion and validated his skills can handle the receiving talent of the Pac-12. Standing at six feet even, Davis is typically smaller than your traditional outside receiver. But according to Davis, the secret to finding success while managing boundary cornerback assignments is being comfortable with anticipation.
“You just think that every play the ball is coming your way,” Davis said. “It makes you kind of gear up more. It’s a mentality that you gotta win. Every play is competitive when you’re on the island. I just focus on my technique and let that take me where I need to go.”
To keep up with the relentless tempo Zak Hill drives his offense at, Davis does need to go. On almost every play during the 11-on-11 period, the defense can be heard hollering “motion, motion, motion” as a receiver leaves his stance and trots across the formation. The constant adjustments and communication keep Davis and his teammates on their toes, which will undoubtedly benefit their processing later down the road. But in his eyes, it is his unit that is truly in control.
“The way I see it, we set the pace,” Davis said. “We read and react, assess the situation. We don’t let them dictate the pace.”
Even when some of the younger defensive backs take the field, Davis makes sure they are sufficiently equipped to respond to whatever elaborate configurations Hill might deploy. Drawing in a sharp breath of air in an expression of admiration, Davis tabbed the budding defensive backs “extremely talented” and hungry to take his position. At the end of the day, the competition fosters a winning culture that favors both sides.
“It’s not combative at all on the sidelines,” Davis clarified. “I’m helping them remember players, go through plays, different scenarios, stuff like that. They do the same thing for me.”
In mentoring the future of the program, Davis leads in a different way than his fellow members of the secondary. At Pac-12 Football Media Day, Lucas described his leadership style as “wild” and even said he will “scream or want to fight you” to get his point across. Jones would probably say his method follows along similar lines. Davis may be the exception of the three, but his approach embodies the trajectory of his career.
From redshirting his first year on a new campus to becoming a primary contributor on special teams, then finally earning a spot among the starting lineup, Davis is evidence of the opportunities that emerge from keeping one’s nose to the grindstone.
“I just try to do everything I can right as far as I know,” Davis said. “I want to be an example for the young guys by showing up and being in the right place at the right time. Obviously, Chase is the vocal one, but not all of us have to be that. I take on the role of wearing a hard hat and showing up every day.”
Even with Hawkins placed on administrative leave and a new face in Donnie Henderson as his interim position coach, nothing has changed regarding the direction of the defensive back group and their mindset.
“It’s the same thing; we just come in with the same mentality as before,” Davis said. “All those guys we have here we’ve had since last year. We’re not dropping off.”
Instead, his goals are sky-high. Davis aims to not only be one of the top defensive backs in the country but one of the best gunners as well. However, his ultimate ambitions lie centered with the rest of the team around a certain bowl game played in Pasadena, Calif.
“I want a rose in my mouth at the end of the year,” Davis said with a smile, envisioning the moment. “That would be awesome.”
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