RB Davis preparing for increased action

In his second NFL season, running back Mike Davis is back to his high-school weight.

And now the 49ers hope he’ll perform as he did in college.

The slimmed-down Davis figures to get his best chance yet to prove he’s NFL-caliber when the 49ers host the Buccaneers on Sunday.

With Carlos Hyde out with a shoulder injury, Davis and Shaun Draughn are expected to take his carries. However, Davis could receive the larger workload: He assumed Draughn’s No. 2 role in a 45-16 loss in Buffalo on Sunday and played a season-high 24 snaps, 19 more than Draughn.

Davis didn’t do much with the opportunity, though. He had 13 yards on five carries and was stuffed for no gain on 3rd- and 4th-and-1 with the 49ers trailing 17-13 late in the third quarter.

“There are a lot of things that I did miss in that game that I feel I’ve got to correct,” Davis said. “I’ve just got to be more prepared.”

Based on his performance in the rugged SEC, the 49ers drafted Davis in the fourth round in 2015. But he has yet to resemble the back who had 2,165 total yards, averaged 5.4 yards a carry and scored 22 touchdowns in his final two seasons at South Carolina.

As a rookie, Davis became the sixth running back since 1970 to average less than 2.0 yards a carry with at least 35 carries in a season (35 carries, 58 yards). This season, he’s averaging 1.8 yards on 10

carries.

Granted, that’s a small sample size. But those are some stunningly skimpy stats.

Davis, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, dropped weight in the offseason and says he’s stayed around 205 for the first time since he played at Stephenson High in Stone Mountain, Ga. He was noticeably more explosive in the preseason, rushing for 146 yards and averaging 8.1 yards a carry, but he has yet to impress in a game that matters.

Davis has acknowledged that his rookie season was a wake-up call that inspired him to divorce himself from fatty foods (biggest sacrifice: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos).

“My body fat was high,” Davis said. “Now it’s lower. Now I feel more confident in myself.”

Said wide receiver Torrey Smith: “I think the biggest difference between this year and last year, he’s grown a lot, matured a lot. He’s playing the way the way they expect him to play.”

At this point, Davis has taken his biggest steps in practice. Head coach Chip Kelly said his performance in those sessions prompted his promotion to No. 2 last week, although Draughn’s performance this season (55 yards, 2.1 yards per attempt) also could have played a factor.

Davis has never had more than 10 carries in a game, and Kelly was asked if more snaps could help him develop a rhythm.

“Yeah, you would hope,” Kelly said. “… The more time you’re out there, the more reps you’re getting, the more snaps you’re getting. I think you’re trying to get into a rhythm and get into a feel of kind of how the game itself will be played.”

Davis hasn’t played particularly well in the NFL, but he sounded undaunted Thursday.

“I feel my power is the same,” he said. “But the only thing I feel is really different now is the speed and mind-set.”