ESPN College Football

Nebraska sophomore quarterback Joe Dailey grew up in tough-talking, Irish-Italian Jersey City, New Jersey, where conversations seem louder than most and where kids dream about a better life.

"It was fast-paced where I grew up," Dailey said. "There are a lot of loud people. Everyone idolizes money, houses, clothes. I was focused on the bare essentials. My high school coach told me football is bigger than any one person and that you have a very short time slot to make an impact."

	Why is Bill Callahan angry with Oklahoma's fans? Which Big 12 star quarterback's father claims his son is unhappy with the school's head coach and system? And what's the good news and bad news for Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson? These questions and more are answered in our Big 12 notebook. Inside the Big 12 Become an Insider

Dailey didn't have time to sit around and daydream about lifestyles of the rich and famous. When he wasn't thinking about football or school, he was busy helping raise his younger sister, Danielle, while his mother, Doreen, a single parent, worked to keep food on the table.

His hard work growing up paid off when Dailey chose Nebraska over Syracuse after then-coach Frank Solich told him the Cornhuskers were moving to a passing offense. Dailey had no idea, though, that he'd become the pioneer for one of the most significant makeovers in the history of college football.

In Lincoln, there were two things you could always count on in the fall -- the leaves changing color and option football. No more. New coach Bill Callahan was selected by athletic director Steve Pederson to bring a pro-style passing attack to the Plains. And although Callahan said Monday that the transition from quarterback keepers to crossing routes has been smooth, it hasn't been. The Cornhuskers lost to a nonconference opponent at home for the first time since 1991 last Saturday as Dailey had two touchdown passes offset by three interceptions and a fumble. The miscues helped allow Southern Mississippi erase a 17-9 fourth-quarter deficit for a 21-17 upset.

"It's all on me," Dailey said after the game, repeating that stats don't lie.

Dailey wants to be a coach one day and reads every book he can by former coaches. Last week alone he read "You Play To Win The Game" by Herman Edwards and "Do You Love Football?!" by Jon Gruden.

Teammates talk about Dailey's confidence and all the time he spends in his playbook, often ignoring invitations from fellow players to go out. This Saturday will tell a lot about Dailey -- the most discussed man in Lincoln right now -- when the Cornhuskers go to Pittsburgh.

Everywhere Dailey goes, he's hearing about how his decision-making influenced the outcome of the Southern Mississippi game. Even from his own coach.

"We've struggled at quarterback," Callahan said. "There's been plenty of opportunities to do some good things and we've turned it over unnecessarily and untimely, especially in the fourth quarter.

"In the first game, there were some guys we could have gone down to. But Saturday we had a chance for him (Dailey) to deliver on the crossing routes, and he didn't do it. We're just trying to expand his ability to read coverage and make the right decision. If we can do that, we'll improve dramatically against Pittsburgh. But it's all about making the right decision on time."

Running back Cory Ross, one of Dailey's close friends on the team, says Dailey won't crack.

"He's got that Jersey cockiness," said Ross, a 5-foot-6, 200-pound fireball. "He's one of the most confident people I've ever met. Even when he's wrong, he sometimes makes you think he's right. This is the type of pressure he wants."

Ross has helped relieve some of the pressure on Dailey by showing that Callahan's version of the West Coast offense doesn't come at the expense of a ground attack. Ross is averaging 147 yards rushing per game (sixth-best in Division I-A) with a 7.35 yards-per-carry average.

But nothing will relieve the pressure of seven interceptions thrown by Dailey in two games except Dailey's own maturity in the Cornhuskers' offense.

"It's constant preparation," said Dailey, who threw four touchdown passes and four interceptions in a season-opening victory over Western Illinois. "You have to spend hours trying to decode the offense, every nuance. It's a struggle. You can't just go out and run it."

Dailey, however, is confident that he's the right guy to lead Nebraska into a new era.

"Every part of my life has been tough," Dailey said. "But I was taught it's how you view the situation. I look at everything positive instead of negative. I'm a big believer in taking a stand. No one's going to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself."

Chip Brown covers the Big 12 for The Dallas Morning News.