Rhule ends the audition
Three quarterbacks walked into camp in Lincoln. One walked out with the job. Matt Rhule confirmed on Saturday that Anthony Colandrea starts Nebraska’s opener against Ohio on Sept. 5.
Colandrea beat out TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin, and the coach did not hedge about why.
“Anthony would play for us right now,” Rhule told reporters. “All the quarterbacks have done a nice job. Anthony, I think the biggest thing is he’s very competitive, very fiery. He expects to win every play. He does a nice job disciplining himself to also take what’s there and makes nice checks in the run/pass game, can throw the ball deep.”
Rhule went further on what the quarterback does for everyone around him. “He extends a ton of plays with his legs, which takes a lot of pressure off of the offensive line, the backs in protection and puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
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A third school, and the numbers behind the move
Colandrea arrived in Nebraska as the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. At UNLV last season he threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns against nine interceptions, then added 649 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground. That dual threat is the profile Rhule described.
Before Las Vegas came two seasons at Virginia, where he passed for 4,083 yards and 26 touchdowns. Three programs, three offenses, and now a Big Ten job that has changed hands repeatedly.
What the other two bring
Lateef backed up Dylan Raiola last season and started the final four games as a true freshman, finishing with 904 passing yards and five touchdowns. Raiola has since transferred to Oregon, which cleared the depth chart Colandrea has now climbed.
Kaelin returned to the Huskers this offseason after a year at Virginia, where he appeared in seven games and threw for 339 yards and a touchdown. Both stay in the building, and both have played real snaps, which matters over a long Big Ten schedule.
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