Feature stories on starting CB Lametrius Davis

About his tattoos, Lametrius Davis said:
"These tattoos are my life story, my map." (HA)

HA Note: "He was 16 when his body first became a canvas, with "Lord Knows," etched on his right arm. He added an image of his father, a member of the Crips who was gunned down when Davis was 2. An image of his grandfather, who died when Davis was a college freshman, is across his heart. On his stomach are two Bible verses — Isaiah 54:17 ("No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you) and Philippians 3:13-14 ("... Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead ...")."

About the scriptures in his tattoos, Davis said:
"Basically, it's my life. Everything is put into the verses." (HA)

HA Note: "On his right arm is "No sacrifice," on his left is "No reward." On his left leg is "Only the strong survive." "

About his father, Davis said:
"I don't remember much about my dad. I was only 2. It was pretty hard. I had to grow up pretty fast." (HA)

About how he began to babysit his younger sister when he was 6, Davis said:
"My mom worked. She was a single parent." (HA)

About his new tattoo across his chest ("My Sister's Keeper"), Davis said:
"Because we grew up without a father, I was a brother and a father figure." (HA)

Davis said that his early responsibility:
"made me a better person. I didn't want to let my family down. Everything I do, I do for my family." (HA)

HA Note: "Davis, who was raised in Portland, Ore., attended Butte Community College in California. He redshirted in 2006, and played cornerback in 2007 and 2008. He accumulated 64 credits to earn an associate degree and more than the 48 transferrable credits needed to enroll at UH in January."

About how players in JCs have to be responsible for their Academics, Davis said:
"In Division I, you have people in your face to get (school work) done. When you're in (junior college), if you want to do good, you do good. If you want to do bad, you do bad. There's nobody in your face, really. It comes down to working hard and getting your school work done." (HA)

HA Note: "At Butte, Davis was a cornerback in a man-to-man system. In UH's spring practice in April, Davis alternated between cornerback and safety. He was moved to cornerback entering training camp. With Tank Hopkins sidelined because of an injured hip flexor, Davis has been the No. 1 left cornerback. He is expected to start against Central Arkansas."

About being expected to start in their season opener, Davis said:
"I'm just trying to make a living. I'm going to try to keep getting better every day." (HA)

About how he has a lot of people relying on him, Davis said:
"I don't want to fail. Everything I do goes back to my family. They're relying on me. And I don't want to let down anybody, like the coaches or my teammates. The coaches put a lot of trust into recruiting me." (HA)

About Davis, Rich Miano (who coaches the CBs) said:
"Physically, Lametrius is what we're looking for. He's big, strong, fast. We expect big things out of him." (HA)

"Physically he's got the talent, he can run, he's strong. His techniques and his execution are getting a lot better every day." (HSB)

About his aggressive play on defense, Davis said:
"I have an offensive mind-set. I'm always trying to get the ball every time I get the chance, always trying to score and make plays." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Davis was a running back and receiver when he started playing football as an eighth-grader. He didn't play high school ball until his junior year, when the coaches at Roosevelt High (the one in Portland, Ore.) introduced him to defense while he continued to rack up yards on offense."

About their new secondary, Mac said:
"Our whole secondary is brand new, so I'm pleased with the progress and we'll find out when the lights go on where we're at." (HSB)

About how Davis and he feel that working against UH's offense has sped up their development, Jeramy Brant said:
"I think we have one of the fastest receiver corps in the nation, so it's like game day every day. You have to bring your 'A' game every day or you can get embarrassed out here with the speed these guys have like Rodney (Bradley) and Jovonte (Taylor)." (HSB)

About how he studies Ryan Mouton's game film, Bryant said:
"I still go into the film room and study Mouton. What I liked about Mouton was he was just so smart. That's why he was able to play so fast, because he knew what they were going to do before they did it. That was just because of his preparation and just being a student of the game." (HSB)

About practicing at Aloha Stadium on Thursday, Davis said:
"That was fun. I was ready to play. I went to the volleyball game (Sunday) and just hearing the band, it gets you pumped. I'm ready." (HSB)

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