LOCAL WATCH: NOT IN THE CARDS INJURY KEEPS LEONARD OUT.

Byline: Aaron Levine Staff Writer

STANFORD - As much as Stanford defensive tackle Matt Leonard is prone to regurgitate before games, it is doubtful he will when the Cardinal plays host to UCLA at Stanford Stadium this afternoon.

You see, Leonard, who is from Palmdale, becomes so nervous before taking the field that a quick trip to the men's room has become part of his pregame routine.

``My stomach just starts to churn and I can't help it,'' Leonard said.

But because of an injured back, Leonard, who is listed as questionable, probably won't have that opportunity today. It's also unlikely he'll have the chance to heave himself off the line, hurl around opposing linemen or lurch his 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound frame onto Cory Paus or DeShaun Foster.

``Even if I did get in, it would be very limited,'' Leonard said. ``The (coaches) just don't want me to get in there vs. UCLA and end up missing the next three or four weeks.

``It would mean a whole lot to me if I could play though. I was a UCLA fan when I was a kid and UCLA's always a team I love to play.''

Leonard, the Antelope Valley Player of the Year and the Daily News Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 when he had 96 tackles and 11 sacks for Palmdale High, suffered the back injury in the first quarter of the Stanford-Washington State game two weeks ago. He was hit in the head, causing two herniated discs and another disc to rupture in his back.

At first, doctors thought Leonard would be out until at least the end of November, but now it looks as though Stanford's game at Washington next week is a strong possibility if Leonard sees no action today.

The absence of Leonard on the line has loomed large for the Cardinal the past two weeks, especially in its ability to rush opposing quarterbacks. Despite missing almost two games, Leonard leads Stanford with three sacks and has also tallied nine tackles, three of which have been for losses.

After Leonard left the game against Washington State, Cougars quarterback Jason Gesser threw for two scores, and last week, Stanford's defensemen had a tough time adjusting to Oregon's Joey Harrington, who threw for three touchdowns in the first quarter.

``It's been a big loss for our club,'' Stanford safety Tank Williams said. ``Matt's done an outstanding job for us. Hopefully we can get him back into the lineup somehow, someway, so he can contribute.''

The mere fact that Leonard's status today is so vital shows what a difference a couple years can make. For much of the last two seasons, Leonard was able to hide behind defensive tackle Willie Howard, who was voted the conference's top defensive lineman in 1999 and was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award in 2000.

Now that Howard is gone, Leonard has moved into a leading role, and early signs indicate that if he is healthy, he will handle the job.

``He understands what we are doing and he takes a lot of pride in that,'' Stanford defensive coordinator Kent Baer said. ``He's the guy we're counting on in there.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) A back injury will keep Matt Leonard, from Palmdale, out of the Stanford lineup today when the Cardinal meets UCLA.

(2) LEONARD