Donte Harden

Vince Davidson and Donte Harden spent their first year as Bobcats trying to separate themselves on the field, but off the field the two have been practically inseparable.

Since arriving in the same 2007 recruiting class, the running backs have battled each other for position on the depth chart. Last season, it was a competition to be third-string behind Kalvin McRae and Josh Abrams, and this spring it was a four-way fight to be the No.1 running back among Harden, Davidson and juniors L.J. Flintall and Chris Garrett.

Despite all of this, Harden and Davidson have become close friends.

“We do everything together,” Harden said. “He’s my road dog.”

The only thing that can separate them now is a dorm room wall.

Harden and Davidson live next door to each other on the second floor of Wilson Hall, which has allowed their friendship to develop.

“We weren’t really friends in the beginning,” Davidson said. “(Now) we talk all the time, tell each other our thoughts and, since then, we’ve gotten pretty close.”

While they are close off the field, they’ve been neck-and-neck in terms of talent on the field.

Harden beat out Davidson for the third-string spot at the beginning of last season. The running back from Erie, Pa., had five carries for 26 yards in the Bobcats second game of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette. He had more carries than even Abrams in the game.

But that momentum came to an abrupt halt when he hurt his shoulder and required season-ending surgery.

Harden looked to be healthy again this spring until he got banged up and had to miss a few practices. He was not completely healed in the Bobcats’ Green and White game and had five carries for six yards and a touchdown.

“It’s just something that I have to deal with,” Harden said of the injuries. “It was a slow process at first, but the process is speeding up and now my injury is healing and I’m just trying to get healthy, stay healthy and continue to be healthy, so I can make it through the season.”

With Harden injured, Davidson was given the chance to show off his abilities on special teams and in the backfield.

He accumulated seven rushes for 47 yards, most of which came in the Bobcats’ win against Temple.

He also contributed on special teams, where he had four returns for 134 yards, a team-high average of 33.5 yards.

Throughout spring practice, he was the first running back to get carries and was very productive until the spring game where he was forced out with an unknown injury, leaving with a boot on his left foot.

He said that he learned a lot during his freshman season.

“I have the most playing time at running back,” Davidson said. “Last year, being a freshman, I wasn’t really used to the line of scrimmage. I was trying to hit the hole, but this year I’m using more of my vision and using time and hitting the holes when they open up.”

With spring over and no clear-cut leader at the position, Harden believes that his friendship with Davidson should help the duo come August two-a-days and the rest of fall.

“It’s not anything to us,” Harden said of the competition. “The friendship, that’s going to help us with the position, actually, because it comes with a one-two punch.”