There the powerful, versatile Temple senior was at fullback, crashing repeatedly into Bryan's defense for gains of 5, 6, 7 and 8 yards to help the Wildcats control the ball and the clock.

There he was, scoring a crucial 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to extend Temple's lead to 17-7.

There he was at linebacker, getting in on plenty of tackles and helping make things difficult for the Vikings' potent triple-option offense.

And there he was on Bryan's last-gasp play with 22 seconds left, chasing quarterback Kesnick Taylor out of the pocket to force an incomplete pass that sealed Temple's 17-14, white-knuckle victory Friday night at chilly Merrill Green Stadium.

The 248-pound Davis carried the ball 26 times for 126 yards as the Wildcats - coming off of a crushing 29-28 overtime home loss to Harker Heights - kept their playoff hopes afloat by improving to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in District 12-5A.

"I'm just so proud I can't even speak right now," said emotional Temple coach Bryce Monsen, whose team now is one game behind Bryan (4-4, 3-2) for 12-5A's fourth and final playoff berth entering next Thursday night's nationally televised home clash with rival Belton (7-1, 4-1).

"I'm proud of the Wildcats and our coaches. This was a great win for us."

gwille@temple-telegram.com