OGDEN — No matter who you talk to at Weber State football camp, a few things consistently come up.

One is the obvious depth at the cornerback position. Another is the same sentiment for the group of running backs, with an additional thought usually expressed like this: we’re excited Josh Davis is healthy and ready to go.

“It all starts with Josh,” running backs coach Robert Conley said. “He sets the tone and he leads by example.”

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Davis ran for 1,362 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games as a freshman in 2018, then added 1,136 yards and 11 touchdowns more in 2019.

But he’s been limited by injuries since then. In 11 games over the last two seasons, he’s rushed for 667 yards and three touchdowns. Except for two courtesy carries in the 2021 season finale, Davis hasn’t played since mid-October of last year when he took 13 carries against Montana State. And he was purposely limited this spring to ramp him up for his final season.

“I feel great. And I should,” Davis somewhat joked. “I haven’t done anything for the past eight, nine months.”

Is he healthy enough to reprise his huge freshman season? That’s not really a goal for him or the team.

“Don’t care about the yardage, I care about us winning,” he said. “I couldn’t care less about the number of carries, yards, the touchdowns I get. All that matters is winning.”

That’s a sentiment Conley sees throughout his group, which is probably a necessity given the likelihood that some players won’t see the field in a given game due to the depth at the position.

“We definitely have a humble group. They understand the overall goal, which is to win a championship,” Conley said. “To reiterate what Josh said, everyone is doing their one-eleventh and guys just know what their role is. I make sure that I’m very up-front and straightforward with those guys so we’re not leaving any gray area. And guys are there to lift others up.”

It’s a pack of backs that, outside Davis, still has a ton of eligibility remaining.

“Anyone in that running back group can play on the field. It doesn’t matter who it is or what play is called, I think the running backs are going to do what they’re supposed to do,” Davis said.

Some of that enthusiasm took a hit on Thursday, however, when Kevin Smith Jr. went down with an injury in practice. Smith is set for his seventh season in the program. After a dynamic 2017, he missed the entirety of the 2018, spring 2021 and fall 2021 seasons with leg injuries.

The details of Thursday’s injury were not immediately known, though there’s significant concern that Smith’s ability to play this season will be affected. Head coach Jay Hill said the team is awaiting further evaluation to learn the extent of the injury.

Beyond Davis, the Wildcats have junior Kris Jackson, and sophomores Dontae McMillan and Damon Bankston as the main core of running backs. Sophomore Steven Shoats-Thomas and freshman Adrian Cormier could likely produce if needed, though that may not be a large need this season.

Senior Breckin Gunter is the lone fullback on the roster and, along with sophomore Colter May (brother of former WSU All-American Brady), figures to see time on special teams, if nothing else. Some of the others may be used at times in the return game.

“Those guys know the importance of special teams — not just getting on the field, but playing a part in the team’s success. That’s part of our plan to win,” Conley said.

McMillan showed playmaking ability in 2021, rushing for 138 yards in one quarter at Southern Utah in the spring and trucking for 151 yards in the fall against the school now called Utah Tech. He scored nine touchdowns in 17 games last year.

Jackson, the biggest back of the group, rushed for 366 yards and 10 touchdowns in a breakout 2019 but missed the spring 2021 season due to injury. His effectiveness was limited in the fall 2021 season, except for a big 19-carry, 93-yard, three-touchdown performance in a road win at Eastern Washington.

The word on Bankston is he’s increased his speed. He ran for 51 yards and two touchdowns against Utah Tech but was limited in carries the rest of the fall 2021 season.

Conley extols the versatility of the players he coaches and feels comfortable all of them can run, catch and block well enough to succeed. He said McMillan and Bankston both took big strides this offseason.

McMillan and Jackson battled injuries last fall as well, so an overall return to health may help Weber State’s offense find better consistency.

“Dontae was battling a bit of injury last fall, but he’s over that, he’s 100% and he took tremendous strides from the spring so far,” Conley said. “I’m excited to see those young guys, as well as Kris Jackson. Everyone, really. Those guys all know their role and don’t mind doing their one-eleventh in order for the team to have success.”

It feels a long memory ago since WSU lined up and ran people over and, for example, since Davis pillaged Northern Arizona for 328 yards in one game. Not that massive school records are required, but another hope for offensive firepower is Mickey Mental’s track record as an offensive schemer and play-caller.

Davis ultimately put the responsibility on him and other running backs to execute whatever is planned but feels positive the scheme from the team’s new offensive coordinator will lead to success.

“(Mental) does a lot of good misdirection and that’s going to help mess up the defense figuring out tendencies and stuff,” Davis said.

In Mental’s final two seasons as head coach and offensive coordinator of Division II Notre Dame College in Ohio, his teams ran the ball well. The fall 2021 team rushed for 200 yards per game and the spring 2021 team a whopping 300 yards per game.

“This offense is multifaceted. It basically makes it so the defense can’t be right,” Conley said. “We can stretch the field vertically, we can run the ball different ways, misdirection, play-action — so I believe it’s versatile and it’s going to pay huge dividends once the season starts.”

This week marks the end of fall camp for the Wildcats, who enter “game week” ahead of their season opener — a 6 p.m. home meeting Thursday, Sept. 1, against Division II foe Western Oregon, the first of six home games this season.

WSU plans to release its Week 1 depth chart Monday and, just a few days later, will kick off the season.

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