Junior linebacker Ja’Gared Davis pushes the ball out of bounds during play against UTEP on Sept. 10. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

The UTEP offense had the ball on their own goal line down 21-17 with 2:39 left in the game causing them to steal a win from the Mustangs last year.

Unfortunately for the Miners, Ja’Gared Davis had other plans for how the game was going to end. Davis flew around the Miner’s pass protection and was able to knock the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. He then finished the play off with a scoop and score that sealed SMU’s first win of the season.

We are now in Davis junior year at SMU, and he has been making plays on the team’s defense ever since his freshman year. Out of the 13 games Davis has played his freshman he managed to start in five.

Davis’s coming out party though was celebrated last season. He was named First Team Conference USA, he recorded 90 tackles, 9 sacks and scored two touchdowns. His success last season is translating into an improved SMU defense this year. In the Mustangs game against UTEP last week, the defense play was on point in the second half giving up only seven points to UTEP, and that was due in large part to Davis energetic play.

Davis showed that he was the primary playmaker on the SMU defense last week against. He has already accomplished three career touchdowns this year and is always seen as a threat to force a turnover when he is on the field. Last week, he finished the game with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, three pass break-ups and one touchdown.

Davis has proven himself to be a valuable and versatile player for the Mustangs, with his ability to stop the run and rush the passer he breaks up passes while he drops into coverage. Davis efforts in the win against UTEP earned him the Non-AQ defensive player of the week award.

Davis takes pride in the way the defensive squad plays.

When asked what June Jones said to the defensive at half time, he said.

“He challenged us to come up with a turnover,” Davis said.

Davis obviously took what Coach Jones said to heart. In the fourth alone.

Davis managed to create two turnovers himself, intercepting a tipped pass and forcing a fumble.

After the Mustangs’ win last Saturday, Ja’Gared said he was happy that his play helped the Mustangs come out on top with a victory.

“We’re just pumped. Everybody is in the locker room right now just laughing and scratching.”