Dixon's Dynamic Development
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by Billysellers
It is sometimes incredibly hard to quantify the leadership qualities of an athlete...especially when we look at one up for an award. Dennis Dixon, of Oregon, is one of the most leadership laden players in the nation. The reason I say this is not because of his teams impressive numbers or even his personal statistics from this season...it is quite simply because of his attitude and desire to win when comparing last season to this one.
We can look at stats to develop a semblance of how impressive Dixon has been. First let's take a look at his line from last season...
197 of 322 for 2143 yards. He completed 61.2 % of his passes for an average of 6.66 yards per completion. he had 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions which levied him a passer rating of 120.68. These numbers were average by most standards...except for interceptions which were completely off kilter.
This season he has been spectacular completing 167 of 246 passes for 2074 already! He has completed 67.9 % of his throws for an average of 8.43 yards per completion and 20 touchdowns with only 3 picks. His passer rating, 163.10. WOW!
A leader was what Dixon was expected to be last season. He failed his team and acknowledges that he did not live up to expectations with a smile on his face. The reason he smiles, well he knows that in between the seasons he worked harder than anyone on his team and has motivated more than just himself to be great. He has become a true leader, motivating the entire Oregon Ducks football team to become great.
Davey would be proud of such a turnaround. He is definitely a worthy candidate for the 2007 Davey O'Brien Award!
