Ryan Davis has fond memories of Kyle Field.

Not only did Auburn upset then-No. 19 Texas A&M, 26-10, two years ago during Davis' only prior trip to the Aggies' palatial stadium, but it's also where he got his first college touch.

Then just a freshman, Davis was deployed on a trick play against Texas A&M, running a gadget play -- Woody -- that has been in coach Gus Malzahn's arsenal since his days as a high school coach. Davis, crouched behind the line of scrimmage as quarterback Jeremy Johnson took the snap and handed the ball off to him. Davis took off around left end for a 28-yard gain.

"My freshman year I do remember from the Woody play," Davis said. "That was my first collegiate touch, so that was a memory for me."

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Davis, who had just one other touch that season, figures to see plenty more this weekend when No. 14 Auburn (6-2, 4-1 SEC) travels to College Station to take on Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior has emerged as a favorite target of quarterback Jarrett Stidham and one of the most reliable receivers in the country this season.

"I tell you, Ryan has really worked extremely hard," Malzahn said. "He's one of those guys that really wants the ball."

Davis leads in receptions (41), receiving yards (381) and touchdowns (three) this season as he has enjoyed a breakout junior campaign. While Davis hasn't been used much as a downfield threat, with most of his receptions coming on short routes, screens and swing passes, he has shown the ability to create big plays out of those passes.

He has become a safety valve of sorts for Stidham in the passing game, garnering nearly a quarter of all the team's targets this season (24.7 percent) while averaging 5.1 receptions per game. There's a reason for that sheer volume, of course, as Davis has proven himself to be a surehanded receiver who won't misplay balls or make mistakes.

Davis' 41 catches have come on 49 targets, giving him a catch rate of 85.7 percent, which is the best among Auburn's receivers with at least 10 targets this season. It's a mark that also ranks first among all SEC receivers with at least 10 targets, according to Football Study Hall's advanced statistical profiles.

Making Davis' catch rate even more impressive this season is the limited number of drops the receiver has had through eight games. According to CFB Film Room, entering the bye week Davis had the lowest drop rate -- 2.5 percent -- among all receivers in the SEC with at least 20 receptions this season.

Here are the drop rates for all SEC players with at least 20 rec this season... Auburn's Ryan Davis leads the way with a 2.5% drop rate pic.twitter.com/N3eIphInUm — CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) October 26, 2017

"He attacks the ball," Malzahn said. "He's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and you can see that grow throughout this year. He's one of the more veteran guys we have in our receiving corps. A guy that's played a lot of ball. Just playing with a lot of confidence right now. I know our quarterback has a lot of confidence in him, too."

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.