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Published Thursday December 6, 2001 Hype hits peak for Eric Crouch BY STEVEN PIVOVAR
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

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LINCOLN - Eric Crouch has reached the point in his Nebraska career where he can no longer dismiss the individual awards that could be coming his way.

Eric Crouch begins a run of appearances at awards ceremonies this week.

Crouch, along with teammate Toniu Fonoti, will be in Orlando, Fla., tonight for the Home Depot College Football Awards program. Fonoti, Nebraska's massive offensive guard, is a finalist for the Outland Trophy, while Crouch is a finalist for the Walter Camp player of the year award, the Davey O'Brien quarterback award and the Maxwell player of the year award.

On Friday, Crouch will head to New York for Saturday's announcement of the 67th winner of the Heisman Trophy. Crouch and three other quarterbacks - Miami's Ken Dorsey, Florida's Rex Grossman and Oregon's Joey Harrington - are finalists for the award that can define forever a player's legacy.

Crouch has always preferred his to be shaped by the value that he has brought to the Nebraska team. He has led the Huskers to a school-record 35 wins as a starter while producing 7,915 yards, also a school record.

Awards Honors that Eric Crouch is a candidate for: Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award: Announced Thursday starting at 5 p.m. Heisman Trophy: Awarded Saturday.

"I've never thought about leaving the greatest legacy behind here," Crouch said. "I've always said that I wanted to leave an imprint, to know that I did my best for this program. That's all I can do. I'm not Superman. I can't win football games individually. No one can do that.

"As far as playing football and enjoying myself and playing the best I can, that's all I can ask of myself."

But Crouch also knows any awards that he brings back to Lincoln with him next week will help some measure his career at Nebraska.

"To be honest with you, I don't know where it sizes up in the big picture as far as who's where in everyone's mind," Crouch said. "Coach (Turner) Gill, Tommie Frazier, all the quarterbacks who have played here at Nebraska are something special. When you're mentioned among the greats, those people either have national championships or Big 12 championships or they've made a huge impact on this program.

"It's not just measured by winning a national championship. Coach Gill doesn't have a ring, and in my mind, he's the best quarterback to play here. It's not like you win a national championship and then you have a legacy all of a sudden. You leave a legacy behind no matter what you do."

No Nebraska quarterback has ever won the O'Brien award, which is presented annually to the nation's top quarterback. As a senior in 1995, Frazier won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award, presented to the nation's top senior quarterback, and finished second in voting for the Heisman.

Mike Rozier is Nebraska's only winner of the Maxwell Award. He claimed that prize in 1983, the same year in which he became Nebraska's second Heisman Trophy winner.

A fringe benefit of being a finalist for the various awards, Crouch said, is the fact that he'll get to meet many of the players he's been constantly compared to this season. Dorsey and Grossman are also finalists for tonight's two player of the year awards, while Harrington will be in Orlando as a finalist for the O'Brien award.

Crouch finishes fourth when his passing statistics are compared to the other quarterbacks, while neither of the other three are in Crouch's league when it comes to running the football. Crouch rushed for 1,115 yards this season, while Harrington has 56 yards on 55 rushes, Grossman 8 on 34 attempts and Dorsey 3 on 12 carries.

"I definitely do it differently that the other quarterbacks," Crouch said. "I can say that I came to Nebraska to run the option, not to throw for three or four thousand yards. Don't get me wrong, that would be great, but that's not what we do here at Nebraska. We have a program that is based on a physical ground game, power football and running the option."

Crouch has thrown for a career-high 1,510 yards, while Grossman has passed for 3,896 yards, Dorsey 2,652 and Harrington 2,415.

"Every time I see these guys in a game on TV, I get a little jealous because they throw the football quite a bit," Crouch said. "I kind of miss out on that part. That is something we don't get a chance to do a lot at Nebraska. Every one of these guys are prime NFL prospects and will have great NFL careers. They have made great plays and impact their team more than any other player."

The same holds true for Crouch, who won't totally lose focus on his relationship to the Nebraska team.

"I'm team oriented from the beginning to the end," Crouch said. "I could be receiving a lot of individual awards, but I always keep in mind that without a team like Nebraska, I don't know where I'd be. So I'm thankful for that.

"I'm not going to be out there thinking that it's just going to be my show. That won't be the case. All this is happening because of my teammates and this program."