Notre Dame Captain Avery Davis: 'Don't knock us yet'

Avery Davis has started to make big plays when Notre Dame needs them the most. 

In 2020, Ian Book found the Texas native down the seam against Clemson and a few plays later, Davis caught the touchdown to put the game into overtime with 22 seconds left in regulation. 

Davis did it again on Saturday as he reeled in a 62-yard touchdown from Jack Coan in the third quarter to put the Irish up 17-6 and give Notre Dame a boost of energy. 

"It means everything," Davis said of his five receptions for 120 yards. "I came back for moments like these and moments moving forward. Right now, I'm going to take advantage of it.

"It's been a long time coming, but I'm going to keep my head on right and keep working. When the opportunity comes, I'm going to make the most of it." 

The 5-foot-11, 202-pounder had shown patience throughout the two games prior as he and Coan hadn't connected for the big play. 

And despite the lack of balls his way, Davis knew the two were going to make the play before the ball was snapped. 

"It's an amazing feeling. I knew it was coming to me based off the look and we were repping it in practice. 

"But to finally connect on one of them, it felt amazing. It was such a great feeling. Jack really played well and he put the ball in a perfect spot." 

Notre Dame's receivers have all flashed during the first three games of the season. There might not be a Michael Floyd, but guys have stepped up and the Irish are 3-0 heading into this weekend's clash with Wisconsin. 

"I know we didn't perform at our highest level as a unit, but I think you guys know we have a lot of talent out there," Davis said of Saturday's game against Purdue. "We have a lot of speed, we're physical, we can catch the ball and we can make plays. Don't knock us yet. Those guys are special in that locker room. 

"The connections are building too. We're getting into a rhythm and it's going to continue to grow moving forward." 

Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly was impressed with Davis' game, but the standard the Texas native set during the week of practice left a lasting impression. 

"I thought Avery Davis was outstanding," stated Kelly. "I will add that as a captain, he led by example during the week. His standard of preparation was what everybody else needs to model after. I said that in the locker room tonight. His performance showed that. We got to get others to model that as well."

Davis has seen it all over the course of his time at Notre Dame and he remembered 2018 and knew his team needed him to step up as a captain. 

"After Ball State in '18," explained Davis. "It was pretty much a similar thing that happened. We knew we had a talented team. It's not that we didn't practice hard, it goes back to the sense of urgency and we needed to pick it up in practice." 

The Irish followed Davis' lead and he backed it up with the biggest game of his career. 

"We wanted to up our preparation with that sense of urgency," said Davis. "Putting ourselves in stressful situations in practice so when it happens in a game, we're more comfortable for ready for the situation. 

"My part - I know how those successful teams have been. There's not too many guys in the locker room that have been part of those undefeated teams - those teams that went to the playoffs. I know how hard we worked in practice and I just wanted to translate that over. Whenever we might be a little low, I wanted to bring energy and say what I needed to say to get the guys going."