Three tackles, 1.5 third-down sacks, reads Rulon Davis' line. Clap it up for Cal's unsung hero, its consummate team player as proved by the following quote: "It was a team effort," Davis said of his success tracking Tavita Pritchard. "It wasn't just me." When next fall rolls around, the senior will be gone. Past 2008, who knows what Davis will do. So let's take some time to pay our respects because it's clear what he's done for this team. Asked what comes to his mind when he thinks about the Bears' season finale against Washington-his last home game in college-predictably, his answer had nothing to do with sentiment.
"Just," he paused, "let's do this again. Keep it moving. Let's keep going." Cal probably will, being pitted with the winless Huskies. Still, he mentioned nothing about his injury-riddled career and how he feels about ending it in good health.
What has been remarkable for this year's team is its rare collection of leadership. There's the emotional guy in Zack Follett. There's the quiet guy, Syd'Quan Thompson. There's the bullish guy, Alex Mack. Worrell Williams, Anthony Felder and Tyson Alualu also merit mention. And then there's Davis. It's unclear whether Davis is any of those types. He doesn't talk much to the media, but I wouldn't dare label him quiet. He's bullish all right, but there's a lot more depth to Davis than the simple small-town, blue-collar phenomenon types like Mack. Is he emotional? Probably. Does he let you in on it? No. Let Felder, whose family shares a military background similar to Davis', explain. "Rulon's a high energy guy," says Felder. "No matter the situation, he's gonna be making noise and trying to lift guys up. Before the game, halftime, between the quarters, timeouts, you can always count on him to try to get guys going, and you really appreciate that because you need a lot of different types of leaders to be successful."
The Bears were without Davis for four games this season, losing once on the road to Arizona. There's no saying whether Davis' presence would have flipped the outcome-though the run-stopping specialist, who's not too shabby at rushing the passer either, may have helped in a game where Cal conceded 179 rushing yards to the Wildcats. I'm not saying backup tailback Keola Antolin, a freshman, would have been intimidated by the insufferable fear Davis puts on opponents. But the Bears could surely have used his physicality, something that even the most seasoned veterans on this Cal squad admire. "Passion and a motor that goes 100 miles an hour," Williams said to describe Davis. "I love it. I love watching him play. He's a good physical guy out there, and I kind of try to take his physicality and put it to my game." Adds Felder: "I remember sometimes, when he wasn't back out there yet, I remember wishing, 'I wish we had Rulon back right now.' It's great to have him back." If you rushed the field on Saturday, you might have seen Davis clutching the Axe. Neither the police nor coach Jeff Tedford could rip the trophy out of his hands.
"I wasn't gonna let it go," says Davis. "I was keeping it, letting everybody know that we won this Axe, holding it tight. Last year, when we lost to Stanford, they grabbed the Axe from us, did all their hoopla, so we had to get them back, get our Axe back." And if you were nearby, perhaps you felt his presence, something that can't be explained in a mere 800 words. Perhaps you were a bit scared, too. At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, Davis surely scares reporters, though that's not saying much. "He scares everybody," explained Williams. During the season, fellow end Cameron Jordan told a story of an instance when the sophomore actually hung out with Davis under casual, non-football circumstances. He admitted that it was then when he found out Davis was intense, and intense all the time.
It's clear, though, that for Davis, it's team above self, not self above team. He's never too cool for anybody, unless you're shoving a recorder up his face. "You know, even in the offseason, before the season started, he was trying to organize team events," says Felder. "Get guys up to Tahoe for a little beach trip. He's 100 percent a team guy, team above self. "I think that comes from his background in the Marines. That's the philosophy, and I think he took it to heart when he was there. He takes it to heart over here."
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