South Dakota State's Isaiah Davis continues to live up to "Playoff Zay" nickname

Dec. 15—BROOKINGS — There's something about playing win-or-go-home football that brings out the best in South Dakota State running back Isaiah Davis.

Though Davis' regular-season numbers are nothing to scoff at — he was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference back this season — he's strung together one top playoff performance after another in his three seasons in Brookings, it's earned Davis a fan-created postseason alter-ego and nickname: "Playoff Zay."

It's a spot-on moniker and well-deserved considering the impact Davis has had on the Jackrabbits advancing to three consecutive FCS semifinals. In 10 career playoff games, Davis has rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in seven of them, totaling 1,216 yards at a clip of 8.4 yards per carry to go with 14 touchdowns. By comparison, in 19 regular-season games, Davis has 1,493 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns.

SDSU's star rusher credits a heightened intensity that goes hand-in-hand with postseason play as well as a greater purpose in playing to extend the careers of senior teammates as reasons for the extra gear he finds in the playoffs.

"Of course (you feel a different energy in the postseason), it's win-or-go-home," Davis said after rushing for 154 yards and one touchdown in SDSU's FCS quarterfinal win over Holy Cross. "And you're always playing for the seniors on the team. You never know when it could be their last play, last game. So it's all about playing for yourself and your brothers who you love and that makes it a little different."

But no matter what the explanation, Playoff Zay has proven time and again that he's a force to be reckoned with.

Davis' first two games in a Jackrabbit uniform were inauspicious, as he totaled three total rushing attempts for eight yards, though he did have an 18-yard reception. But in Game No. 3, SDSU's home opener during the 2021 spring season, he flashed abilities that have since become regular viewing for SDSU football fans.

That afternoon, Davis recorded his first collegiate 100-yard game, gaining 118 yards and scoring once on just nine carries against Western Illinois. Two weeks later, he broke out again, turning 22 attempts into 150 yards and three touchdowns at Southern Illinois.

When SDSU kicked off the spring 2021 playoffs against Holy Cross, Davis needed just 10 carries to roll to 156 yards and a score. Then, after combining for 112 yards between the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, Davis almost willed the Jackrabbits to a national championship, breaking loose for 178 yards and three touchdowns, including an 85-yard scoring tote marked by what has come to be recognized as Davis' go-to stiff arm.

And thus, the legend of Playoff Zay was born.

Though the bruising 6-foot-1, 220-pound ball carrier looks more like the Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry with his physical running style and the No. 22 on his jersey, it was a more elusive NFL legend that molded the way a young Davis thought about playing running back.

"Growing up, my guy was Barry Sanders; he was always someone I watched. There was a video on YouTube, the greatest running back of all time, Barry Sanders," Davis said after the 2021 spring national title game. "I know my play style is not really like him, but that's someone that really motivates me."

With Davis firmly entrenched alongside Pierre Strong Jr, who's now in the NFL with the New England Patriots, SDSU entered the fall of 2021 with perhaps the most dynamic backfield duo in FCS football.

But an early injury sidelined Davis, who played in SDSU's first two games and then not again until the regular-season finale. None of the three games resulted in a 100-yard effort.

That promptly changed as SDSU began its playoff march.

The Jackrabbits hosted the University of California, Davis, in the first round of the playoffs and as if on cue, Playoff Zay ran wild, racking up a career-high 217 yards and finding the endzone once on 15 carries.

"It was good to have this type of game to prove how dominant we can be running the ball," Davis said after the game. "I feel like it was a statement to let everyone else know we're going to bring it."

And continue to bring it, he did.

Davis rushed 19 times for 108 yards and two scores as SDSU defeated Sacramento State. Then, after Stong went down with an early injury against Villanova in the quarterfinals, the Jacks looked to Davis to carry the load. What resulted was a 174-yard, three-touchdown afternoon.

"He's a good football player. The coolest thing was when Pierre (Strong) went down, Isaiah went right to him and said, 'We got this; we've got you,'" Stiegelmeier said following the game. "The big guys do a good job, but he deserves a lot of credit."

One of the two postseason opponents to keep Davis in check was Montana State in last season's national semifinal.

That December afternoon in Bozeman, Davis was limited to 13 yards on nine carries in an eventual 31-17 loss for SDSU. But with the Bobcats making the trip to Brookings on Saturday for a semifinal rematch, Davis has the opportunity to get back at the 'Cats. More than that, SDSU needs what Davis has to offer.

Against Delaware in the second round on Dec. 3, Davis renewed his postseason form with a 104-yard, two-touchdown day, which was followed by 154 yards and another score against Holy Cross in the quarterfinals.

With the Bobcats bringing the nation's No. 1 rushing offense into the game, it would be a welcomed sight for SDSU to counter with another vintage Playoff Zay moment.