Ray Davis, Jeremy Flax Earn SEC Player of the Week Honors

Give Ray Davis his flowers. A bad man in the Kentucky backfield, he went off against the Florida Gators. Today he’s being rewarded for his outstanding performance by the league office in Birmingham.

Ray Davis was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week following a 280-yard rushing performance. He caught a touchdown pass and ran in three more scores to propel Kentucky to a 33-14 win over Florida. It’s the Wildcats’ first three-game win streak over the Gators since 1951.

The eye-opening performance has carved out a new place in the record books. He was only 19 yards away from capturing the Kentucky single-game record. The 280-yard day ranks third in school history. Only one player has ever rushed for more yards against the Florida Gators. LSU’s Ty Davis-Price had 287 back in 2021.

Jeremy Flax named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week

Ray Davis gave all the credit to big men leading the way. “I didn’t make history. Our O-line made history today.”

He continued, “Honestly our O-line has been receiving a lot of criticism, but I think today they showed up and stepped up. They’re making strides. No one’s perfect in this world. We’re evolving and we’re getting better each and everyday. Those guys are getting better. As an offense, we’re getting better. We’re not going to be content with this performance. I think we have a lot more left in the tank.”

He wasn’t the only person to give the Big Blue Wall credit. Right tackle Jeremy Flax was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. While paving the way for Ray’s historic day, Flax did not allow any quarterback sacks or pressures, he missed zero assignments and recorded five knockdown blocks.

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Other Weekly Honors for Ray Davis

In addition to SEC Player of the Week, Ray Davis was Pro Football Focus‘ highest-graded player in week five. He was also named Offensive Player of the Week by the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

It’s the second time this season that Ray Davis has tallied a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game. In the win over Florida he became the third active FBS player to eclipse 3,000-career rushing yards.

Davis is the most productive running back in the SEC through five games. He leads the league in rushing yards (594), yards per carry (7.82) and rushing touchdowns (8). He ranks in the top five nationally in all three statistical categories.

Kentucky fans feared the great lineage of Mark Stoops running backs was going to end following Chris Rodriguez‘s departure. The addition of the Vanderbilt transfer has been a resounding success so far. When the ball is in the explosive running back’s hands, the band always has to be ready to fire up the fight song.

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