Arkansas RB Davis still working hard

    Arkansas running back Knile Davis finished his sophomore season second in rushing in the SEC with 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns. Yet, for the 2011 pre-season, he wasn't one of the two backs voted first-team All-SEC by the coaches.

    "I feel like he should be a first team player," said Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino. "That's something that throughout all the positions in this conference, everyone has good players."

    The first team running backs were Alabama's Trent Richardson and South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore.

   "I think I'm right up there with them," Davis said. "I'm just going to go out there and try to compete hard and do better this year and hopefully they'll put me first."

    Davis, who turned 18 last October, has proven to be a great asset on a team that in recent years has turned towards a passing offense.

   "It was great to add that dimension," Davis said. "It kind of helped us out down the stretch."

    Davis admitted to stealing techniques from other running backs around the SEC.

    "I watch film on them," he said. "Mark Ingram has a quick first cut. He hits the hole very hard. You learn things like that from those guys."

    Petrino said one of the first things to notice about Davis is his work ethic.

    "In the weight room, he's continued to get stronger and faster," Petrino said. "He just did a great job in the weight room this past week. In the winter when we had our testing days, he went in there with every group; he didn't have to be there.

"He was there cheering guys on, spotting guys. I's become extremely important for him to show how much he cares."

-- Laura Owens