Because he’s used in short-yardage situations and is not an every-down running back, Qwentin Brown’s rushing stats for Brown University’s football team aren’t exactly eye-popping.

Make no mistake, though: When the Santa Cruz High graduate carries the ball for the Bears, big things happen.

Brown — the player, that is — made that evident earlier this month in Brown University’s 42-35 loss to Bryant University: The junior whom coaches and teammates call “Q” had more rushing attempts that October afternoon (four) than he did total yards (three) for the Bears. However, three of Q’s carries resulted in touchdowns for the Ivy League school in Providence, R.I., that bears his last name (pun intended).

Those three TDs, incidentally, were the first of Q’s college career. The Pacific Coast Athletic League’s 2021 Mission Division Offensive Player of the Year — who amassed 3,308 yards on 326 carries in three seasons at Santa Cruz High, according to Brown University’s website — rushed just 12 times for 28 yards last fall and hadn’t carried a single time this season before his breakout game.

“It was definitely great to get those three touchdowns,” Q said. “As the game unfolded, the coaches put me in position to do that. They called a special package, and I was blessed to be part of that package.”

That package is called Kodiak, according to Bears running backs coach Willie Edwards. It’s a single-wing formation, similar to the Wildcat, that Brown U’s coaching staff frequently employs when the Bears are in the red zone: The ball is snapped directly to the tailback, who plows ahead for the yard or two needed to get either a first down or a TD.

Edwards believes Q is the ideal type of running back for those situations.

“He’s got a nose for the end zone,” Edwards said. “He’s got a nose for getting first downs. He’s a big kid, 220 pounds, with strong legs who knows how to hit creases, keep his legs moving and move the pile forward.”

It helps that Q is a student of the game with a high football IQ, according to Edwards.

“He studies football, he watches football, he lives football when he’s away from our facility,” the running backs coach said.

Q added to his touchdown total last Saturday in Brown U’s 31-21 loss to the University of Rhode Island, then the No. 19-ranked school in NCAA Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision: His 1-yard plunge in the third quarter helped the Bears take a 21-14 lead. Q finished the game with 10 yards on five rushing attempts — four of which went for first downs — and also caught a 12-yard pass.

“He took advantage of some third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 conversions,” Edwards said. “That was big for us.”

Q compared his running style to that of retired NFL great Marshawn Lynch, whom he rooted for growing up.

“I’m a more powerful downhill back,” Q said. “I have some shiftiness, but not like Barry Sanders or anything. I make one or two cuts, and from there, it’s really just north and south for me.”

Running for short gains when Brown U needs them most isn’t the only way Q is contributing to the Bears’ success this season: He also sees action on special teams, playing defense on the Bears’ kickoff and punt return units. He brought down Rhode Island’s kick returner at the 25-yard line in the second quarter on Saturday.

“As an offensive player, I don’t get to make too many tackles,” Q said. “When I’m on offense, I hope not to make any. But it’s a part of the game that I enjoy.”

A health and human biology major, Q hopes to stay connected to sports once his college days are done — perhaps as an athletic trainer, strength coach, or physical therapist. He’s been on the opposite side of that equation: Q’s freshman season in 2022 was wiped out after he underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee, and he had to take a medical redshirt when his rehab took longer than expected. Still, Q has two years of playing eligibility remaining.