Will Davis now a leader on Kansas State’s defense (+video)

Practice was too quiet.

Dante Barnett, the senior safety in charge of calling out Kansas State’s defensive formations, was unable to participate because of an injury. None of his teammates knew how to fill the noticeable leadership void. Someone had to step up. But who? For a day or two last week, everyone seemed too shy to try.

Then Will Davis took command.

“He is like the quarterback for us,” sophomore linebacker Elijah Lee said. “We all follow him.”

Davis, a junior linebacker, showed leadership in practice and followed that up with the best game of his career. He made a game-high nine tackles against Texas-San Antonio and guided K-State to a 30-3 victory by leaping into the air and breaking up a pass that was intended for an open receiver in the end zone late in the second quarter. Without that athletic deflection, the Roadrunners would have led 10-7 at halftime. Instead, K-State flexed its defensive muscles and dominated the rest of the way.

Some were surprised by the breakthrough performance, but those who saw him lead in practice sensed something big was in store.

“We are down a senior captain, and we have a lot to prove without him,” Lee said. “Everybody questions where is the leadership? Or who is going to step up? It started with Will Davis and Morgan Burns. They started to be vocal and then it was Travis Britz. The seniors stepped up and that really helped us.”

Davis was not mentioned among K-State’s top defensive contributors during the preseason because he was coming off a mediocre year in which he was known more for the tackles he missed than the tackles he made.

But he appears to have put those struggles behind him.

“He stepped up huge,” Lee said. “When Will jumped up and knocked that pass back, it was just a lot of excitement. It turned the game around for us.

Now Davis hopes the play will also send his season on a favorable path.

Davis was a part-time starter last season. The Southlake, Texas product opened the year playing alongside Jonathan Truman, but quickly lost playing time to faster and more experienced linebackers. He ultimately rejoined the starting lineup and had his moments. But nothing consistent.

Nothing like what he accomplished last week.

“I see things better now,” Davis said. “I see things more quickly. I can respond more quickly.”

He looks like a different player.

“What I like about Will so much is that he re really invests himself in trying to be the best he can be,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “He is always trying to go above and beyond the expectations.”

Davis took it upon himself to improve in all areas after his sophomore season. As the most experienced returning linebacker, he took it upon himself to uphold K-State’s tradition of strong defensive play in the middle.

He wants to live up to the legacy left by former standouts Arthur Brown, Blake Slaughter and Jonathan Truman.

“Those are some big names that have played here and there have been many more before that,” Davis said. “The linebacker position at K-State has always been a strong suit. It is important for all the guys who are in that room with me now to keep that going as a unit, not just as an individual.”

How did Davis improve so much in a few months?

It wasn’t easy, but he credits his ascent to a deeper focus on daily improvement. Instead of picking out one part of his game and working on it for weeks, he tries to get better in a new area. It’s a trick he learned from Truman.

“It might not have been one specific thing over the course of the offseason, but it was something each day,” Davis said. “If I was in the weight room, do my best to get better at squatting. If I was in the indoor (facility) running, do my best to be in the best condition possible.”

Those improvements gave him the confidence to speak up in practice and to step up in games.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Will Davis now a leader on Kansas State’s defense (+video)."