Three Stars: Jon Cornish, Jerald Brown and Will Ford lead Week 15′s top performers

Welcome back to our weekly Three Stars series, examining Week 15's top offensive, defensive, special teams and Canadian players.

First star/offensive player of the week: Jon Cornish, running back, Calgary Stampeders: Cornish delivered one of the most dominant rushing performances we've seen all season in Calgary's 38-11 win over Winnipeg Saturday, collecting 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps most impressive was that he did that on only 17 carries, though, an average of 12.2 yards per carry. That's right: on average, every time the Stampeders gave Cornish the ball, they came away with a first down and more. Cornish also added two catches for 24 yards. His rushing performances all year are a key reason why Calgary currently has a league-best 11-3 record.

(Honourable mentions: Will Ford, RB, Winnipeg; Arland Bruce, WR, Montreal; Marquay McDaniel, SB, Calgary.)

Second star/defensive player of the week: Jerald Brown, defensive back, Montreal Alouettes: The Alouettes' defence has had to do plenty of heavy lifting this year thanks to the offence's struggles, but they've often been up to the task, and Brown's been a key part of that. In a Saturday game that was crucial for Montreal's playoff hopes, the defence again came up big to give the Alouettes a 47-24 win over the Eskimos, and Brown shone brightest with two vital interceptions. He also added three tackles on the day. Brown's currently tied with teammate Geoff Tisdale for the CFL lead with five picks on the season, and he's been crucial to Montreal's success.

(Honourable mentions: T.J. Hill, LB, Edmonton; Jermaine McElveen, DT, Saskatchewan; Brandon Isaac, LB, Hamilton.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Will Ford, kick returner, Winnipeg: Saturday wasn't a great day for the Blue Bombers thanks to their blowout loss against Calgary, but it was a solid day for Ford. He picked up 148 yards on four kick returns, including one he took back 100 yards for a touchdown. Ford is showing plenty of promise as a returner, and he also had a solid day on offence, collecting 156 yards on 11 carries. He's been a bright spot in a dismal year for the Bombers.

(Honourable mentions: Swayze Waters, P/K, Toronto; Jamal Miles, PR/KR, Edmonton; Jock Sanders, PR/KR, Saskatchewan.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Jon Cornish, running back, Calgary Stampeders: Cornish's remarkable rushing exploits Saturday are chronicled above, but he's been a solid force on the year as well. The CFL's 2012 rushing leader and the reigning West Division Most Outstanding Player is having himself another season to remember, and he's taken over the rushing lead from Saskatchewan's Kory Sheets, picking up 1,415 yards so far to Sheets' 1,302. Yes, Sheets has missed several games (and the Riders have dearly missed him), but he's still actually received more opportunities, carrying the ball 227 times this year to Cornish's 200. Cornish thus bests him in yards per carry as well, averaging a ridiculous 7.1 mark (Sheets' 5.7 is still rather impressive). Much of the talk about a running back as the league's Most Outstanding Player has revolved around Sheets, but Cornish might actually be a much better candidate. If he continues to produce down the stretch, he could be one of the best candidates out there.