NORMAN, Okla. -- Ask Nebraska's Eric Crouch about the turning point in his career, the moment when he transformed from a pouty underclassmen desperate for playing time to a leader who can carry a team on his shoulders, and he speaks of a newspaper clipping.

It came last season, the morning after a 45-0 victory against California, in which the multi-talented Crouch threw, ran and caught a touchdown.

	Eric Crouch nearly transfered, but Nebraska is glad he didn't.

When Crouch opened that day's paper, there he was -- in all three poses. Next to his pictures were those of Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers, the last Husker to accomplish such a feat.

And right then and there, it sunk in.

"It was amazing for me to see that," Crouch said. "It was unbelievable. From then on, I developed a new confidence in myself, believing that I could play Division I college football. I think I grew to become a better leader and player for this team."

And he hasn't turned back since. Just ask the folks at Notre Dame, who watched Crouch sprint into the end zone untouched for a 27-24 overtime victory back in September. Crouch had three touchdowns that day.

Or ask the coaches at Iowa State, who saw Crouch rack up over 300 yards of total offense, including 138 on the ground in a comeback victory the first week in October.

Since the Cal game, Crouch is 19-3 as a starting quarterback. Entering Saturday's showdown with No. 3 Oklahoma, he is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. His passing numbers aren't as gaudy as those of Drew Brees or Josh Heupel, Saturday's counterpart from Oklahoma, and he doesn't have the moves of a Michael Vick or Woodrow Dantzler.

But he does a little bit of everything, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in rushing, passing efficiency and scoring.

"There isn't enough time to talk about all his positives," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "He's a great competitor, makes a lot of big plays and has become the perfect leader for that team."

So much so that comparisons have been drawn in Huskerland between Crouch and former star Tommie Frazier.

"Both of those guys believed in themselves and then got to the point where the players believed in them," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "Both of these guys wanted what's best for their football game. They would make any sacrifice to make it work."

But it wasn't always this way. In fact, Crouch's role as a leader is a far cry from the day last year when he turned his back on the Huskers, climbing in his car and driving 45 minutes home to Omaha to essentially pout over a lack of playing time.

Though Crouch points to the Cal game as a turning point, his tension-filled departure from Lincoln, a topic that is still somewhat taboo, was just as critical, if not more so. Though few enjoy talking about it, the fact remains that Crouch, a sophomore at the time, all but quit as a Husker.

It happened prior to last season after Crouch lost a lengthy battle with Bobby Newcombe for the starting quarterback position. Crouch's frustration wasn't that he wouldn't be the quarterback, but that it meant he would watch from the sidelines. You have to remember, this was a multi-sport kid who had spent his entire life on the field.

He also struggled a bit with the Husker coaching change, having grown up idolizing Tom Osborne. Osborne recruited Crouch, making the transition to Solich that much more difficult.

Looking back now, Crouch takes sort of a philosophical approach, saying the break away from the game helped him understand his needs and desires better.

"A lot of people would say that there's a point in their life where they take a step back and they kind of view things from a different perspective," Crouch said. "You sort of ask yourself, 'Is this what I want to do? Is this what my future entails? How do I feel about that?

"I just took a step back and said, 'Well, I've had a dream. I've always wanted to play. So I just can't say I don't want to play."

For Crouch, heading home was comfort. His parents divorced when he was young and with his mom working two jobs, it was Eric's chore to watch his little brother, clean the house, etc. Through their trials and tribulations, Eric and his mother grew a special bond between them.

Also at home was Crouch's high school coach, Fred Petito, who he was close with, as well.

	“	There isn't enough time to talk about all his positives. He's a great competitor, makes a lot of big plays and has become the perfect leader for that team. ”
		— Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops

"Sometimes when you're emotional, you tend to make decisions you probably wouldn't normally," Crouch said of his decision to leave. "I was frustrated. I wanted to talk to my family and my coaches -- the people who are there for me."

After Crouch left, Solich drove to Omaha and had a meeting with Crouch, his mother and Petito in the Millard North High School football office. Crouch said he remembers the tension in the room and the difficulty both sides had talking about the situation.

"It was very emotional," Crouch said. "It wasn't a case where I was completely done and didn't want to play anymore. I was just frustrated. I told him, 'I just want to play. I don't care where you put me. I just want to be on the field making plays.

"The best thing that happened was I got a chance to prove myself. He didn't make any promises. But he said, 'Hey, we'll get you on the field any way we can. He let me know that they wanted me -- that I was a big part of the program. It gave me a new attitude."

After both sides aired their frustrations, Crouch decided to return to Lincoln immediately. Having left on the weekend, he never missed a practice. At that Monday's workout, in preparation for the season opener against Iowa, Crouch spent the majority of his time at receiver.

Ironically, it was a scholarship offer from Notre Dame that Crouch rejected a year earlier because the Irish wanted to make him a receiver. But at this point, if that's where Crouch had to be to get on the field, so be it.

"I got more practice there, so I'm thinking, I'm a receiver. That's fine with me. I'll just go out there and make some plays," Crouch said.

But once the game against Iowa started, Crouch split time with Bobby Newcombe at quarterback and turned heads by rushing for three touchdowns. On one of the scores, he leveled an ensuing tackler head-on in the endzone. For the game, he finished with 92 yards rushing, 68 yards passing and the three TDs. Needless to say, his play turned many more heads than Newcombe's did.

"Once I got in there, things started happening for me. I felt like it was a time in my life where I just didn't give up when I could have easily," he said.

The next week, Crouch turned in that memorable performance against California and the Huskers haven't been the same since.

"He's the major focus for us defensively," Stoops said. "Everything revolves around him."

Added Solich: "In running our offense, Eric is as good as it gets."

Even Crouch is amazed when he looks back and thinks of how much he's grown in just over a year.

"There's been so many things that have happened to shape the person I am," he said. "And they're not all football related. It has to do with my childhood, my mom. And my coaches and friends are a big part of it, too."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com