Nebraska's version of a quarterback controversy has taken on the ugly  form of Joe Dailey learning how to operate the West Coast offense.

For Bill Callahan's Huskers, it's amounted to the kind of results you'd expect from a first-time driver trying to navigate L.A. rush-hour traffic.

On Saturday, Dailey caused a major pileup in Memorial Stadium with a second straight tunnel-vision performance that left the Huskers on the south end of a 21-17 loss to Southern Mississippi. One that they deserved, but had no business being left with.

Nebraska nearly doubled the Golden Eagles in offense, piling up 476 yards to 239. But with Dailey adding three interceptions to the four he tossed against Western Illinois last week, and throwing in a fumble for good measure, the Huskers were left reeling from their first nonconference loss at home in 13 seasons.

Perhaps now we have a better understanding for why Callahan went ga-ga when highly-touted West Coast disciple Harrison Beck announced this summer his plans to become a Husker next season.

When's that 2005 seasons opener, again?

"We left a lot of points on the field," said Callahan, understandably ruffled after just his second game on the Nebraska sideline. "This was a game there for the taking and we gave it away."

Like a loyal commander in chief, Callahan refused to point the finger at his field general. Or maybe he chose not "to go into that" because it was so painfully obvious what took the Huskers out of their attack.

Dailey's three interceptions led to 12 of the Golden Eagles' points, while his fumble killed a drive at the Southern Miss 12 with less than five minutes to play. The lack of headiness seems a bit perplexing, since it belies the manner in which the sophomore carries himself off the field.

But "we knew he was going to have some tough lessons," said NU offensive coordinator Jay Norvell.

The first one Saturday came when Dailey, under heat, dumped a short toss into the hands of Southern Miss tackle Terrance Ford, who rumbled 31 yards to set up a field goal. Two plays later, Dailey telegraphed a sideline throw for Ross Pilkington that gave cornerback John Eubanks an easy theft and led to another three points.

The Huskers overcame those mistakes to take a 17-9 lead after their first two possessions of the third quarter, during which Dailey executed on-the-money TD throws to Grant Mulkey and Matt Herian. But Dailey's luck would revert to bad on the final play of the period, and when he tried a third-down dump pass, failed to see linebacker Naton Stewart, who snagged the ball before racing 49 yards to paydirt.

"With Dailey, he's a guy that stares down his receivers," said Southern Miss linebacker Antoine Cash. "He's not a guy to look off. He goes to the first receiver."

Sure enough, after the Golden Eagles had turned yet another turnover — a fumble by Tierre Green — into what amounted to the winning TD, Dailey showed that tendency again on the Huskers' final drive.

Having led them from their 41 to the Southern Miss 20, showing savvy field surveillance on a 21-yard double-clutch throw to Pilkington and a 14-yarder to Mulkey, Dailey looked over the scene of a third-and-6 play.

On it, he connected with Terrence Nunn near the NU sideline for a 5-yard gain. What he didn't see was Mulkey streaking across the middle to his right, wide-open and waving his arms as if to say, "Hit me and we win."

"I'm definitely a secondary read," Mulkey admitted. "Terrance is the first."

Perhaps appropriately, Nebraska's last gasp ended on a fourth-and-15 play on which Dailey got flushed from the pocket, couldn't find an open receiver and reluctantly took off running.

"When I saw Joe pass the line of scrimmage, the first thing I thought was ‘Make a play,' " said guard Jake Andersen.

The 5 yards he needed at the end of it must have seemed closer to a mile.

"I've never played a game where the offense was going so well and not get a victory," Andersen said.

Indeed, a lot of times, Nebraska was humming like a full-throttled Jaguar on an open highway — windows down, radio blaring. But even a finely-tuned machine will drop a transmission if the driver shifts into the wrong gear too many times.

That happened in Memorial Stadium Saturday, which let Southern Miss and its steady ol' clunker chug past the Huskers, leaving them wrecked on the side of the road.

"We didn't really play all that well, offensively," Golden Eagles coach Jeff Bower said. "But we didn't beat ourselves."

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.