By Tim Wentz
Monarch fans received their first look into Lala Land last Thursday.
Elijah Davis, or more commonly known by his childhood nickname Lala, exploded for 63 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries against Charlotte in his ODU debut.
With ODU’s deep stable of running backs, the early of emergence of Davis may have come as a surpise. Even for Lala, himself.
Davis was expecting to play just one play last Thursday.
“My play was the third play of the game and that was the only play I was expecting,” said Davis.
That play was a 5-yard run on a 3rd-and-9 on the Monarchs’ opening drive.
“After that play, when they called my name, I just went out and did my job.”
The next time he touched the ball was in the second quarter, when he bursted for a 15-yard run up the middle. Jolting life into the ODU ground game, the coaching staff stuck with him and, on the next drive, he broke a 20-yarder, bouncing off of would-be tacklers, for his first career touchdown.
“I was excited, but I was humbled,” said Davis about his breakout performance. “I know there’s plenty more times ahead and that I need to keep getting better.”
Despite running for a Virginia state-record 6,690 yards in his high school career at Heritage High School in Lynchburg, including a nation-high 3,670 yards as a senior, Davis was rated as a three-star recruit and the 97th-best running back in the country, according to 247 Sports.
Old Dominion recruited him from the get-go and a strong connection was established.
“It just felt like home. They treated me right,” said Davis. “And when I got here, I got the same effect. Everything was just real. They were upfront with it.”
Virginia Tech, who the Monarchs host on Saturday, and West Virginia entered the process late, but Davis’ decision was set in stone.
“I was Old Dominion all the way,” said Davis.
Even with his gaudy high school statistics, Davis arrived at ODU with an edge about him. He did not play during the first two weeks, but used his time on the sideline as a learning experience, watching the signals and gaining a better understanding of the playbook.
Now, he’s expected to make his first career start against the 10th-ranked Hokies and their nationally-renowned defense in the biggest home game in program history.
It’s a tall task for true freshman, but Davis is ready for the challenge.
“If you’re going to doubt me, then keep doubting me,” said Davis. “Because I’m just going to continue to work hard.”