Former St. Petersburg Catholic player Chris Davis doesn't want to tell most folks, including teammates, what his middle initial, C, stands for. But they likely will wonder after one look at his jersey, which will read "C.C. Davis."
"Nah, I can't," he said with a smile.
While the second C will help avoid confusion with defensive end Chauncey Davis, it also could be a hint as to what FSU coaches expect Davis, a redshirt freshman receiver, to contribute: a few cc's of excitement, especially to a position that lost its top two playmakers, Anquan Boldin and Talman Gardner, to the NFL.
Davis, 19, came to FSU as a consensus All-American. His speed and elusiveness drew breathtaking comparisons to Peter Warrick. "He's super quick," coach Bobby Bowden said.
But while working out in July 2002, a couple of weeks before the start of practice, Davis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was lost for the season. He is healthy again and ready to begin living up to his hype.
"I'm happy to be out here playing and doing things I used to do in high school," he said. "I learned a good amount of things (sitting out), but I couldn't really get the full effect of things until I got out there and ran through it. I'm doing pretty well right now."
He enters Saturday's opener as the No. 2 flanker behind Craphonso Thorpe. Davis also has seen practice time as a punt returner, and Bowden said he could be "outstanding there." And for the record, we checked. The middle C stands for Carvellas.
SCOUTING REPORT
The last time the Seminoles traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., they were embarrassed 41-9. It was the first of four losses in 2001, the first of nine in the past two seasons combined.
FSU hasn't forgotten that watershed game and the sight of UNC fans storming the field.
"It hasn't crossed my mind," UNC coach John Bunting said of that win, his first at his alma mater. "It has nothing to do with this year's game in my way of thinking."
His is a young team that, last season, struggled to stop opponents from moving the ball and struggled to move it offensively.
"Defensively, we've got to be better, we all know that," Bunting said, adding that the year's experience should help.
Seven defensive starters return, including senior free safety Dexter Reid, the team's top tackler and a Thorpe Award candidate. But last season's unit was 108th nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 452.4 yards.
The biggest improvement could be on offense, where the entire line returns as does tight end Bobby Blizzard and, most important, quarterback Darian Durant, the ACC leader in total offense. Durant, who has had run-ins with his coach, missed last year's game with a thumb injury and four games overall. That explains why UNC finished 67th in total offense.
QUOTABLE
"What makes you say I'm optimistic? I have not tried to be. I've purposely tried not to be real optimistic because I feel like I have in the past and we haven't lived up to it. I feel like now we're at the point where we need to go prove something before we start talking about how good we are." - BOBBY BOWDEN, FSU coach on his expectations for the season
OFFBEAT
What player doesn't want to be the Big Man on campus - or at least on his team? With the help of FSU's media relations department, we've come up with some possibilities of football players rightfully to be considered:
