Pasadena, Calif. — They look harmless enough off the field.
Nebraska's Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch and Miami's Ken Dorsey speak softly about the fierce game they play. They talk about dedication, hard work and loyalty; about winning a national championship for their coach, and being part of the great traditions of their schools.
Miami's Ken Dorsey prepares to throw during practice Monday in Los Angeles. Miami faces Nebraska for the national college championship in the Rose Bowl on Thursday in Pasadena, Calif.
Then the games begin.
And, as Dorsey says, they become "very competitive on the field."
He is the tall, skinny kid from California, built more like a point guard than a pinpoint passer. Crouch is smaller, and in shorts and a Huskers' jersey seems more ready to hit the surf than take hits from big, bruising linebackers.
On Thursday night at the Rose Bowl, the quarterbacks take center stage when No. 1 Miami (11-0) plays No. 4 Nebraska (11-1) in the BCS' national title game.
Dorsey, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior, has the luxury of a star-studded supporting cast. Crouch, a fifth-year senior, has carried the Huskers' load virtually by himself, running for 1,115 yards, passing for 1,510 yards and producing 26 TDs. Even in the 62-36 loss to Colorado in the Huskers' last game, Crouch set a school record with 360 total yards.
Nebraska coach Frank Solich, left, walks past quarterback Eric Crouch as the team stretches prior to Monday's practice in Los Angeles.
He's listed at 6-1, 200 pounds, but doesn't look it. He won't flinch, though, when faced with trying to plow through heavy traffic. Huskers tight end Tracey Wistrom can attest to that, recalling a short TD run by Crouch in the 1999 season opener against Iowa.
"I think the guy expected him to run out of bounds and he just absolutely ran him over. They showed it over and over on TV," Wistrom said. "That's when you knew Eric was going to be something special. He does whatever it takes for the extra yard, whatever it takes to make this football team successful."
This season, there was the record-breaking 95-yard TD run against Missouri, a zigzagging odyssey in which Crouch broke at least five tackles. And there was the 63-yard TD catch off a trick play that sealed a 20-10 win over Oklahoma.
"He never ceases to amaze me," Wistrom adds.
Crouch also is the fastest quarterback Nebraska's ever had, and coach Frank Solich says the Huskers' option was redesigned to include more plays for his quarterback. "I just try to make people miss and get as many yards as I can," Crouch said, "but being physical is part of my game."
Even though he had surgery twice on his right throwing shoulder, Crouch never missed a snap because of injury in his final three seasons.
Crouch and Dorsey met in the week leading up to the Heisman presentation on Dec. 8 and struck up a friendship.
"He has all the characteristics of a big-time leader and that's why their team is so successful. He knows how to get the ball to the right players," Crouch said. "Plus he's a down-to-earth guy."
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