Reggie Davis lined up in front of the Carter-Finley crowd of almost 58,000 Saturday and got ready for the first snap of his senior year. It had been so long since he had started a game, going back to 2003 — his freshman year.

That start took place in Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium, where about 25,000 strong packed the stands for the Wolfpack and chanted “REGG-IE” as the young running back ran for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Now here he was, playing Appalachian State, preparing for the play. The play never came to Davis — the ball was snapped, and it sailed wildly into the endzone for a safety. No longer a running back, Davis was elated – the blunder had come from the Mountaineers’ offense — and Davis got to watch it all from his new position — outside linebacker. He would go on to have four tackles, including one tackle for loss in Pack victory.

“It’s something new, something else to help the team out with,” Davis said. “It’s a great experience to be able to hit somebody instead of getting hit now.”

Prompting the positional move was the depth at running back and the lack thereof at linebacker. Pack coaches approached Davis with the idea a few months after asking him to play fullback.

“They asked me to [switch to fullback], and then they asked me to play linebacker. And I was like ‘OK I’ll switch again.’ I’m just all about helping my team win. And wherever they see fit that I can be to help the team win, I’ll do it,” Davis said.

It’s nothing new for Davis to do something he thinks is “best for the team.” Originally, Davis was going to redshirt his freshman year until injuries to others forced him into the action.

“If they ask me to play kicker, I might just play kicker,” Davis said with a smile. “I’ll go in there and kick a little for [John Deraney].”

Davis, who had 386 yards rushing and four touchdowns in his career, is a past recipient of the team’s Al Michaels Award, for putting the team before the self.

“He wants to get better and wants to learn and that says a bunch a lot about him as a person because he didn’t have to switch and he did that for the team,” fellow linebacker and senior Pat Lowery said.

A few things from his running days have helped ease the transition to linebacker, where he will now try to come up with the tackles he used to avoid.

“Instinct and knowing what the running back is going to be doing at a certain time [helps],” Davis said. “I know when I was doing this step I was running this play. So now I can read that and help out on my run reads.”

The move to linebacker might not be too far out of Davis’ comfort zone when considering his style of running. A true power runner who never shied away from contact, Davis was given the Big Hitter Award on offense in 2003.

“I hit a few guys in practice. I’m not trying to hurt nobody in practice, but when the game comes around I’m ready to play and I’m going out there to try to help my team win,” Davis said

According to coach Chuck Amato, Davis had one of the biggest hits in the team scrimmage, and also had a big hit on Mountaineer quarterback Trey Elder on an option play.

“After watching film, I see him around the ball,” Amato said. “He moves good and he’s having a little bit of fun, a little bit of fun for the first time in a while.”

Evidence of this in practice comes when lining up against the team’s running backs as well as receiver Darrell Blackman, who he gets to put a hit on now.

“I’m always talking junk to them boys” Davis said. “Once I was playing with them, and now I get a chance to hit them. Me and Darrell joked about that, if he comes across the middle I’m going to have to hit him.”

Davis did say he played defense in high school, but now he must be able to react to some of the best athletes in the country.

“Probably learning the plays and learning the reads [has been the hardest part]. When I was on offense I knew if it was a run, I knew it was a pass and now I really have to read and guess what they’re doing,” Davis said.

In addition to the support of his coaches, Davis cited fellow linebacker and senior Pat Lowery as having helped him out learning the ins and outs of linebacker.

“I’ve been impressed,” Lowery said. “He’s gotten better each and every time that he’s went out there. And I think that’s important to see, it’d be different if he was making the same mistakes, constantly messing up on one thing, but I’m not seeing that.”

Another Al Michaels award for Davis might be waiting for his willingness to switch in his senior season. Looking back, he said that the early years were there to prepare him for this final season.

“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Davis said. “My first years were just acclimating me to play college football and now I’m ready to do it on defense.”