The bandage on Fred Davis' left earlobe is neither a fashion statement nor a byproduct of heavy cellphone use that followed the USC tight end's coming-out game against Washington State.
The beige gauze has been there almost daily since training camp, an ever-present reminder to remove earrings before donning a football helmet.
"I got hit and it got ripped a little," Davis said Tuesday of his near-Holyfieldesque condition. "Then I took off my helmet and it got worse.
"I'm supposed to get stitches, but I don't know when. Hopefully soon."
Davis is feeling no pain, or lacking for attention, after emerging as quarterback John David Booty's go-to receiver.
At least for one game.
Davis, a senior from Toledo, Ohio, had never caught more than six passes or gained more than 68 receiving yards in a game until Booty last Saturday turned to him repeatedly. Davis caught nine passes to help the top-ranked Trojans to a 47-14 victory in their Pacific 10 Conference opener. His 124 receiving yards were the most ever by a USC tight end.
"He didn't do anything different from what he normally does," Coach Pete Carroll said. "He just got the ball a lot."
Family and friends have called and text-messaged Davis ever since. Former Trojans receiver Dwayne Jarrett was among the well-wishers.
"It's a big deal, but then you think of it, it's a one-day thing," Davis said. "You can't stay on it that long."
USC travels to Seattle this weekend to play Washington.
After Davis' performance, opponents must now prepare for a USC passing game that figures to expand each week.
The Trojans' aerial attack sputtered at times against Idaho and was plagued by drops against Nebraska. But against Washington State, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian let Booty get into rhythm and gain confidence by calling for short throws to multiple receivers. Davis caught two touchdown passes and stretched the field a bit with three gains for more than 18 yards.
"With the athletes we have on the outside, if you can get one on the inside too, it just makes us all that much harder to stop," Booty said.
Against Washington State, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Davis almost felt like a wide receiver, the position he hoped to play when he arrived at USC in the spring of 2004.
Davis graduated a semester early from high school so he could get a head start by participating in spring workouts. He showed decent speed and athleticism but lacked the route-running skills and ball-catching ability of other receivers.
