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Thursday's Niners Daily looks at the comments of the rookie running back out of South Carolina, who made his NFL debut in Pittsburgh.*
Jarryd Hayne is not the only rookie running back on the San Francisco 49ers.
Mike Davis, too, is enjoying his first pro football experiences this season.
A week after Hayne made his NFL debut, Davis was active in San Francisco's Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The fourth-round draft pick carried the ball seven times for 14 yards against a stout defense.
Davis said he learned several valuable lessons in his first regular-season action. Chief among them: trusting his instincts.
"My first carry, I kind of read it wrong," said Davis of a 2-yard run in the quarter. "It's something I have to learn from. Going forward, I know what to look for."
When asked if speed was the biggest change from his time at South Carolina, Davis somewhat agreed with the notion.
"I would say the speed, but also the reads," said the productive SEC rusher. "Just because you see a guy coming, doesn't mean you don't trust your own speed. That's something I have to learn from."
Davis carried the ball 454 times in college for 2,440 yards (5.4 average) with 22 touchdown runs. In the preseason, he led the 49ers with 26 carries, picking up 113 yards with an average rush of 4.3 yards.
Davis said he's looking forward to capitalizing on an expanded role if Pierre Garçon (quadricep contusion) and Reggie Bush (calf) are limited in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Bush sat out of Wednesday's practice; Hyde was a full participant. Bush's availability will be monitored throughout the week. If he's unable to play, Davis could be Hyde's backup. Hayne, too, remains in play.
"It's always a good opportunity to be able to step in, especially being a rookie," Davis said. "You have to know what you're doing out there to give your team the best edge.
"I try to bring everything. I try to match what Carlos does. Carlos is a physical runner. When he comes out, I'm trying to do the same thing."
