By Whit Canning
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Every time Eric Crouch's mother, Susan, attends a Nebraska football game, she wears a special cap.

It is inscribed with the names of her heroes -- the Cornhuskers' offensive linemen, who spend the day trying to protect her son from harm.

It is a testament to their skill that the sophomore quarterback has amassed more than 2,000 total yards while directing the team to a 10-1 season and is, along with Texas quarterback Major Applewhite, the Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the Big 12.

Although their styles offer a marked contrast, Crouch, who Longhorns coach Mack Brown has called "maybe the best option quarterback in the history of the game," feels a distinct kinship with his Texas counterpart.

"We've both had to battle through quite a few things this year," he said, referring to the early-season assumptions that Applewhite would lose his job to freshman Chris Simms. "I think the way we've wound up says a lot about both of us as people.

"We have the same mental approach: Never give up ... be relentless."

It also helps, he added, to be able to rely on people who will wear goofy caps in your support and always be there when you want to drive the 47 miles back home to Omaha with a problem.

That's what Crouch did early in the season, after head coach Frank Solich, in what he characterized as "one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made," announced that junior Bobby Newcombe would open the season as the starting quarterback. After two weeks of backup roles and various experiments -- he caught a touchdown pass as a wide receiver -- Crouch decided to go home to talk to Susan and visit his high school coach, Fred Pitito.

"I wanted to go home and talk to my family and my old coach, the people I'm really close to," Crouch said. "Over the last few years, every time I've needed someone, I've had my family and some close friends to turn to. Without them, there's no telling where I would be now."

Making a quick decision about where `he' wanted Crouch to be, Solich fired up the big red van and drove to Omaha to fetch him back.

Soon, there was a new announcement; that Newcombe had asked to be moved to wingback. In the weeks since, the team has responded to Crouch's leadership, and he is regarded as the quarterback of the future -- and present.

"It was just kind of tough to deal with," said Crouch, who finished the '98 season as the starter after Newcombe was injured. "I've always wanted to play football, and that's why I came here. But that means playing, not sitting.

"Coach Solich had told me he wanted me to be a big part of the offense, but I wasn't really sure what that meant. When I played [as a backup], I did well and moved the team, but I wasn't happy sitting on the bench, so I went to the coaches and said, `Let me do something else; find a way to get me into the game.'

"So, I moved to wide receiver and caught a touchdown pass against California, and I said, `Hey, fine, forget quarterback. I'll be a wide receiver and catch touchdown passes.' "

But Crouch, a `Parade' All-American in high school recruited by Notre Dame and Ohio State, felt like a duck in a mud puddle.

"It had always been my dream to be a quarterback, and I started thinking about that, so I went home to talk with the people who have always cared about me," he said. "I didn't want to give up the dream."

When Solich showed up at the door, Crouch was surprised -- and impressed.

"That showed me a lot about Coach Solich," he said. "It showed me that he really cares about the people in this program, and that means a lot to me. We've gone through some tough times the last two years, and so has he."

That included a variety of problems that culminated with the departure of injury-prone I-back DeAngelo Evans, who was disgruntled over lack of playing time.

"We went through a lot," Crouch said. "People were leaving; you never knew who would be here and who wouldn't. There were rumors every day in meetings, everything was disrupted. There were people who didn't adjust well to the coaching change.

"But we hung together, and finally we started pulling together."

Now, except for losing to Texas and those danged fumbles that the team is plagued with, a lot of people are a lot happier. There are Huskers fans who get weak-kneed at the thought of having Crouch around for two more years, and an opposing coach (Brown) calling him a future Heisman candidate and -- because he can throw (1,214 yards, 7 TDs) as well as run (817 yards, 14 TDs) -- the greatest option quarterback ever.

"That's pretty big praise, and I really don't know what to say about it," Crouch said. "But the biggest thing that's happened here is this team going 10-1 and getting ready to play for the Big 12 championship.

"After all we've been through, that's not just an achievement ... it's a miracle."

Whit Canning, (817) 390-7760