Gerhart one of nation's best

Dec 3, 2009, 12:00 AM

Since this week marks the end of the regular college football season, we'll dedicate this edition of the Pac-10 football column to handing out some end-of-the-season awards. PAC-10 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TOBY GERHART, STANFORD There's really only two logical choices here: Gerhart and Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers. And since Gerhart is having a bigger season than anybody else in the country - his 26 rushing touchdowns are more than WSU has as a team this season - and because he's probably more valuable to his team than anybody else in the Pac-10, this seems like a no-brainer. Plus he made the Pac-10 All-Academic team. If Gerhart's not invited to New York for the Heisman trophy ceremony, there's something seriously wrong with the entire process. PAC-10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RAHIM MOORE, UCLA Ricky Elmore is a close second with 10.5 sacks this year, but the fact that Moore leads the Pac-10 with nine interceptions is pretty impressive. Granted, you could argue that he has more chances to get interceptions because his offense is so bad that he's on the field more than most other defensive backs, but Moore has been a big reason why UCLA has managed to win six games this season with one of the worst offenses in the country. COACH OF THE YEAR: CHIP KELLY, OREGON There's a few different ways to go with this one. Jim Harbaugh has taken Stanford's program to a level that was unimaginable when the Cardinal went 1-11 in 2006. Mike Riley continues to have Oregon State in the Rose Bowl hunt, today's Civil War serving as evidence. And Mike Stoops is keeping Arizona on a steady road back to what it was in the early '90s. But the fact that Kelly completely turned Oregon around after such an embarrassing opener against Boise State, overcoming the loss of LeGarrette Blount and slashing through the Pac-10 with one of the more productive offenses in the country, is pretty dang impressive. If Oregon finishes off its Rose Bowl run today, you have to give this to Kelly. QUARTERBACK OF THE YEAR: SEAN CANFIELD, OREGON STATE You could argue that Jeremiah Masoli, who's 10th in the conference in rushing, should be considered despite his mediocre passing numbers. And you could also make a case for Jake Locker, who is second in the Pac-10 in passing average per game and leads the conference in total offense. Canfield, though, has thrown for more yards and more touchdowns than anyone in the Pac-10 and is the biggest reason why Rodgers has been able to be so successful on the ground. OSU's passing game complements its running game better than anyone else, making the Beavers one of the most dynamic offenses in the country. That all starts with Canfield. Reach Sports Editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

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