West Coast Version of Rocket Is Creating Fireworks at San Jose : College football: Spartans’ Sheldon Canley leads the nation in all-purpose yardage.

Any discussion of the best all-purpose athlete in college football just about begins and ends with Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, Notre Dame’s do-it-all junior receiver.

But to find the nation’s leader in all-purpose yardage, one must know the way to San Jose, where tailback Sheldon Canley of San Jose State has 1,665 yards--948 rushing, 258 receiving and 459 on kickoff returns.

Canley, a 5-foot-8, 193-pound senior, possesses many of Ismail’s attributes--good hands, good vision, durability and a penchant for big plays, with nine touchdowns. But when it comes to national recognition, Canley isn’t in the same galaxy as Ismail.

Although he’s a candidate for the first Doak Walker Award, recognizing the nation’s top running back, Canley is not in contention for the Heisman Trophy. Ismail is.

The Spartans, who lead the Big West Conference and play host to Cal State Fullerton Saturday night, get ignored by the major networks, and aren’t ranked in the Associated Press poll.

The Irish seem to make as many TV appearances as Johnny Carson--seven during the regular season--and are ranked second nationally.

All of which has Canley feeling a bit overshadowed.

“I know (Ismail) plays a tougher schedule than we do, but hey, I’m No. 1, so that’s the bottom line,” said Canley, a former Lompoc High and Hancock College star. “I feel I have the skills he has. I play hard and create things.”

A statistical comparison might not be valid. Ismail’s primary position is receiver, so he doesn’t handle the ball nearly as many times as Canley. Ismail returns punts, and Canley doesn’t. However, Canley averages 208.1 all-purpose yards a game, Ismail 153.6.

Is Canley as good as Ismail? No, according to Joel Buchsbaum, associate editor of Pro Football Weekly.

“That’s like comparing a Rolls-Royce to a Chevrolet,” said Buchsbaum, who rates college players for the NFL draft. “Ismail has rare ability. Canley is a tough player. He’ll get you where you want to go, just like a Chevrolet. But Rocket is a superstar.”

Buchsbaum, who has seen Canley several times on film, said he will be a middle- to low-round pick in next year’s draft, nothing to be ashamed of. He said Canley has many talents but lacks explosive speed and isn’t as elusive as some quicker backs.

Other observers say Buchsbaum might be underestimating Canley’s ability. Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy called Canley “the best running back on the West Coast,” and that list includes Washington’s Greg Lewis.

UCLA recruited Canley in 1987, but he said they backed off when he didn’t obtain his Associate of Arts degree from Hancock in time to enroll in the spring of 1988.

Canley graduated from Hancock in 1988 and went on to San Jose State, where he injured an ankle during summer drills and redshirted that season.

What appeared to be two setbacks--Canley said he “would have loved to have gone to UCLA,” and he was slated to start for the Spartans in ’88 until the injury--might have enhanced his career.

Had he gone to UCLA, a more prominent football school, Canley might not have been able to do all the things he does at San Jose State.

“By coming here, I’m able to get the ball in different areas and show my versatility, instead of just being a running back,” Canley said. “UCLA doesn’t throw that much to their running backs. I would have been limited there.”

Had Canley played in ‘88, a 4-8 season for the Spartans, he would have completed his eligibility last season, when San Jose State went 6-5.

Because of the redshirt year, Canley is now part of an outstanding 1990 team that is four points away from an undefeated season. The Spartans (5-2-1) tied 25th-ranked Louisville, 10-10, lost to seventh-ranked Washington, 20-17, and lost to California, 35-34.

“I’m glad I came here,” Canley said. “And looking back at the redshirt year, it was probably a positive. I had another year to mature and to become more comfortable with the game.”

Canley, the nation’s second-leading all-purpose runner behind Fullerton’s Mike Pringle in 1989, is on course to break the NCAA record for per-game yardage. He has 4,598 all-purpose yards in 22 games, a 209.0 average. The record of 193.7 yards is held by Howard Stevens of Louisville.

If Canley breaks the record, perhaps he will get the national recognition he thinks he deserves, regardless of how he stacks up against Ismail.