University of Oregon | Brady Leaf
Oregon quarterback Brady Leaf lost the competition for the starting job to Dennis Dixon at the beginning of the season, but has proven his worth to the team in a variety of ways.
As Oregon’s holder on special teams, Leaf gave the Ducks an aerial option on trick plays. In the Ducks’ 31-24 victory over Fresno State, with the score tied at 24-24 late in the fourth quarter, Leaf and kicker Paul Martinez came on looking as if they would attempt the field goal.
Instead, Leaf took the snap, then ran to his left before throwing a pass to Martinez who ran into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
With Leaf as the holder with starting quarterback capabilities, the Ducks successfully ran the trick field goal play several more times throughout the season.
Special teams duties aside, Leaf went 55-of-99 with a 119.01 quarterback efficiency rating in cleanup duty over the first 11 games of the year.
As incumbent starter Dennis Dixon’s play grew more erratic in the second half of the season, Leaf got more playing time, and his patience paid off when he got the start against Oregon State.
In the Ducks’ 30-28 loss to the Beavers, Leaf almost engineered victory for Oregon. The Ducks went into the half trailing the Beavers 21-7 before Leaf rallied the team to a second-half comeback, taking the lead 28-27 on his touchdown pass to Jordan Kent and subsequent two-point conversion. The comeback victory fell short only when the Beavers drove down the field and converted a field goal and Oregon’s Matt Evensen’s game-winning attempt was blocked.
Brigham Young Unversity | Curtis Brown
When he first arrived at BYU, Curtis Brown, a 6-foot, 203-pound fifth-year senior from Palmdale, Calif. struggled to adapt to the religious atmosphere at the school, and actually considered leaving the team after his freshman year.
But he ended up staying. And four years later, with 14 100-yard rushing games in his career, Brown is now the Cougars’ all-time leader in that category.
This season, Brown has been a formidable force on the Cougars’ offense, and is as much of a threat as any two other players combined. He leads the team in both rushing and receiving yardage, and has scored eight touchdowns this season.
With 890 rushing yards and 511 receiving yards, Brown’s all-purpose yardage total of 1,689 is only about 200 yards behind the combined total of 1,478 all-purpose yards that Jonny Harline and McKay Jacobson – the team’s next two most productive offensive players – have put up.
Brown had a career day in the Cougars’ 42-17 win over New Mexico on Nov. 18. He made a 49-yard touchdown run to become BYU’s career rushing record holder. He finished the night with 124 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown, as well as five receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown.
In his five years with the Cougars, Brown has become the team’s emotional leader, and with his aerial and ground playmaking abilities, he is one of the most difficult players to defend on the gridiron.
