Devonte spells Devante: Rebels WR Boyd to fill role of ailing star Davis

Devante Davis likes to tease Devonte Boyd by saying his first name is pronounced “De-vone-tay.”

Their first names actually are pronounced the same, but even before Boyd arrived at UNLV from Basic High School, Davis treated him like a little brother who holds a lot of promise.

It became clear when the season began, and probably even back to spring practices, that Boyd would be Davis’ successor as the Rebels’ go-to wide receiver.

The expectation was that would happen next season when Davis, with degree in hand, is playing in the NFL. But because Davis could be out an extended period this season with an injured right hand, Boyd is the lead receiver as UNLV prepares to play at San Jose State at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“I definitely know the team is holding me to high standards, and they’re counting on me just as much as they were counting on Devante to fill that role,” Boyd said. “Even Devante told me there could be no drop-off. Him being a veteran, I know I’m not going to make all the plays he would make in a game, but I’m damn sure going to make some of them.”

Boyd passed the initial test. As Davis watched from the sideline Saturday at San Diego State, Boyd caught four passes for 86 yards and his first touchdown.

That performance gave the freshman 17 receptions for 303 yards for the season, tying Davis in catches and putting him ahead of Davis’ 268 yards.

Coach Bobby Hauck said good and bad needed to be taken from that game.

“(Boyd) did some really nice things on Saturday, but still looks like a freshman a lot of the game,” Hauck said. “So we need to continue to coach him and educate him in the world of football because he’s obviously capable of doing some really good things.”

Davis sees some of himself in Boyd, an overlooked prospect who is making other schools wish they had recruited him. Whether Boyd will become as great as Davis, one of the Rebels’ top receivers of all time, remains to be seen, but Davis said Boyd already is ahead of him at this point in his college career.

“My freshman year, I had four catches for 42 yards,” Davis said. “He surpassed that in his first game here.”

Boyd caught six passes for 102 yards in his Aug. 29 debut at Arizona.

He keeps pushing himself to get better, noting he could do a better job of picking up on coverages and being a more aggressive receiver.

At 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds, Boyd also could stand to put on another 20 pounds, and he has tried. He finally decided the weight would have to come naturally, that he could be productive even if he didn’t gain another pound.

“I’ve got to go out there and work harder and harder and harder knowing that I’m kind of undersized for my position,” Boyd said. “To me, it’s all about heart and how you go out there and play no matter how big you are. I never really got down on myself for how small I was.”

His lack of size scared off other schools, and Boyd said UNLV even had questions whether he could hold up physically. Rebels coaches, though, saw plenty of potential in Boyd and signed him last year. He grayshirted in 2013 and enrolled in January.

Davis, who began working with the younger player shortly after Boyd signed, also saw a player with loads of talent.

“Then when he got here, he was excited and ready to work,” Davis said. “So it was easy for me to take him under my wing and teach him how to do things a college athlete is supposed to do.”

Boyd couldn’t ask for a better mentor, but certainly he would prefer Davis to be on the field with him rather than forced to watch from the sideline.

How long Davis is out is unknown. Hauck never reveals the seriousness of an injury, but with Davis’ right arm in a sling, an imminent return doesn’t appear likely.

However long the absence, Boyd is ready for the challenge, and said he recognized he would need to earn the respect of opponents before facing the kind of defenses Davis went up against.

“I honestly think that every team is looking down on me as far as me being a freshman, and they probably see my weight,” Boyd said. “Even if they’re not looking down on me, in my head they’re looking down on me, so I’m going to go play with a chip on my shoulder. If they’re playing man, I’ve got to make them pay the price for playing man coverage on me.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter:@markanderson65.