NO ORDINARY LEAF; WASHINGTON STATE QB BREAKS RECORDS, STEREOTYPE.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

The prissy ones often gravitate to the quarterback position.

Less mud. Less sweat. Less blood. Less heavy lifting. For this personality type, it is much more desirable to have a reasonably clean jersey in the third quarter. And an unscathed face when the minicams come in tight afterward.

Ryan Leaf doesn't have much to do with this characterization, however.

The Washington State quarterback, who will lead the Cougars against USC at the Coliseum on Saturday, is more like an inside linebacker hiding out at football's most glamorous position.

Leaf is ``kind of unusual,'' said guard Cory Withrow, one of Washington State's captains.

The evidence:

As a redshirt freshman in 1995, Leaf volunteered for special-teams duty in the early part of the season and was positioned as an up back on the punt team. He threw blocks. He ran down the field, fending off blocks. He made tackles. Very unquarterbacklike.

At Russell High in Great Falls, Mont., he ran option plays despite the gangly dimensions of 6-feet-4, 200 pounds. Run out of bounds to avoid a hit? Slide at the feet of a pursuer? Wouldn't hear of it.

``He'd run you over,'' said his high school coach, Jack Johnson. ``He was a big-enough kid, he packed a pretty good wallop.''

Washington State has its players lift weights by position. Except in the case of Leaf. ``None of our quarterbacks are strong enough to lift with him,'' said Withrow. ``He works out by himself. Or with the tight ends.''

Leaf, who is now up to 6-6, 238 pounds, has already set three weight-room records for Washington State quarterbacks, including the pro bench press, an exercise in which 225 pounds are put on the bar and hoisted as many times in succession as a participant can manage. Leaf cranked out 13.

Washington State might need every ounce of this strength and toughness come Saturday, because the program will be attempting a Herculean feat.

The Cougars began playing football in 1894 (when, alas, they lost to Spokane High), and they have been playing USC and UCLA on a regular basis since 1936. But they have never, ever beaten both the Bruins and Trojans in a single season.

Washington State, which opened with a 37-34 victory over UCLA before taking a breather with a bye last weekend, can change all of that Saturday. As if Leaf didn't have incentive enough already.

Last season, as a sophomore, he and the Cougars, needing a touchdown to win at home, advanced from their 5-yard line to the USC 11 in the final 2 minutes. But with 39 seconds to go, Leaf lost a fumble, and the Trojans killed the clock for a 29-24 victory.

A game to be replayed frequently in the film room of the mind?

``Maybe for some other people,'' Leaf said on the phone this week, ``but not for myself. You put away the past and don't recall bad experiences. You learn what you could have done differently.

``But I'm not looking back and thinking that, hopefully, I'll have the same type of shot. . . . I'd rather be up by 30 or so, so it doesn't matter.''

On the fateful play last season, Leaf bore 525 pounds of USC defensive line - a double team of Matt Keneley and Lawrence Larry - before the ball popped out for Sammy Knight to recover. An unavoidable fumble?

``I don't know,'' Leaf said, testiness creeping into his voice. ``I really don't want to think about it, so don't ask me any more questions about it.''

Wow. A quarterback who doesn't care to be expansive when the media is present. This guy really does explode the mold.

But it's understandable he doesn't want to dwell on the past when his present - not to mention a future in the NFL - is so bright.

In the opener against UCLA, Leaf completed 17 of 30 passes (56.7 percent) for 381 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

``I think Ryan's in a position now, based on the way he played against UCLA, to (establish) that as his standard,'' said Washington State coach Mike Price, ``and we're going to (gauge) everything the rest of the year from this game.

``I expect him to play the same way he did against UCLA but play a little bit better. It doesn't have anything to do with who's ever played the quarterback position at Washington State. I'm not comparing him with those people. I'm not comparing him with what he did last year.

``The thing I'm comparing Ryan with is what he did in his first game.''

Why not consider Leaf's place in the Cougars' bloodline? Everyone else is.

Stanford has long been considered the Pac-10's Quarterback Central, what with Jim Plunkett, John Elway, John Brodie, Steve Dils and Steve Stenstrom. But the balance of power could be shifting north and east.

Jack Thompson, Mark Rypien, Timm Rosenbach, Drew Bledsoe.

Now it's time to add that linebacker masquerading in the No. 16 jersey.

Last season, Leaf's first as a full-time starter, he passed for more yards (2,822) than any of his predecessors had as a sophomore.

It's speculated he will jump to the NFL early, as Bledsoe and Rosenbach did before him. Leaf won't discuss the subject, but his high school coach, Johnson, said it's his understanding Leaf will bolt if drafted in the big-money range of the upper first round.

In the meantime, Leaf will attempt to strengthen his standing in Washington State's line of succession at quarterback.

Against USC, that will mean being wary of cornerbacks Daylon McCutcheon and Brian Kelly while contending with the Trojans' newly pressurized defense.

``They didn't blitz more than four or five times when we played them last year, and it was Ryan's first year (as a starter),'' said Price, ``but I counted 33 blitzes against Florida State.''

Bring it on, Leaf indicated. The pressure is not likely to rattle this anti-quarterback.

Withrow laughed and said, ``If he can actually hand the ball off and throw a block, he'll do it. He likes to get in the mix of things.''

Even if few who play his position tend to share the sentiment.

SELECT COMPANY

Ryan Leaf, Washington State's junior quarterback, brings strong credentials into Saturday's game with USC at the Coliseum. Last year, he passed for more yards and touchdowns than any of the Cougars' famous quarterbacks had done as sophomores

Player Year Yds. TDs

Ryan Leaf '96 2,822 21

Jack Thompson '76 2,762 20

Drew Bledsoe '91 2,741 17

Timm Rosenbach '87 2,446 11

Mark Rypien '83 384 0

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Color) Ryan Leaf has helped get the message out that Washington State is a hotbed for quarterbacks.

(2) Trojans beware: Ryan Leaf's passing (381 yards, three touchdowns) led the Cougars to victory over UCLA in the season opener.

Associated Press

Box: (Color) SELECT COMPANY (See Text)