Star of the show: Anthony Colandrea is a perfect match as UNLV’s quarterback

Dan Mullen’s go-to phrase ever since he was introduced as UNLV’s coach last December has been some version of vowing that his team will become the best show in town.  

It’s going to take a lot more time to definitively determine whether Mullen is the right director to get there, but through just two games, it’s already apparent he pulled off one master stroke. Mullen has found the ideal leading man for the Rebels.

Primary quarterback Anthony Colandrea — the coach has still never formally used the word “starter” — is a can’t-miss performer and a fitting star for a team Mullen says wants to live up to Las Vegas’ entertainment capital of the world status.     

“It’s always great to win,” Colandrea said at UNLV’s weekly news conference. “For our offense, I feel like we’ve been rolling at a high level.”

The junior transfer from the University of Virginia is the reigning Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after piling up three touchdowns and a combined 272 passing and rushing yards in a 38-21 win at Sam Houston. Combined with a stellar debut in a win over Idaho State, Colandrea is averaging 10.1 yards per passing attempt while completing 77.3% of his passes.

Flying in two games against weak competition doesn’t mean Colandrea is bound to sit next to Randall Cunningham as the best quarterback in program history, but the St. Petersburg, Fla., native does have that level of upside.

Colandrea grew a cult following among college football fans for his exciting playing style while with the Cavaliers. The buzz will not only be revived but should reach new heights if he keeps at his current pace when UNLV hosts UCLA at 5 p.m. Saturday night for a major showdown airing on CBS Sports Network.   

“It’s a big deal for sure just because a lot of people are going to be at the game,” Colandrea said.

UNLV has made a big advertising push for the game dating back to the early summer, which could result in the matchup being one of the best-attended games in program history. The Rebels set a new record last year when 42,228 turned out to watch their midseason clash with Boise State — an eventual 29-24 loss where current Raider and then Heisman Trophy hopeful running back Ashton Jeanty was the prime attraction running for the Broncos.

But Colandrea might be most under the spotlight in what looks like UNLV’s biggest home game of this season. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava might be the bigger name, but he had a pedestrian Bruins debut after controversially transferring from Tennessee with 136 yards on 11-for-22 passing in a 43-10 loss to Utah last week.  

Iamaleava’s night was so nondescript that UNLV cornerback Aamaris Brown, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, went viral in college football circles this week for saying, “nothing really sticks out to me about him.”

That’s a phrase that could never be uttered about Colandrea. The 6-foot, 183-pound 20-year-old has his flaws, but they generally only make him more compelling to watch.

In the past, Colandrea’s doggedness in always trying to make a play has cost him through firing risky throws, taking big hits and ditching textbook mechanics. UNLV saw one flash of that reputation against Sam Houston when he threw an interception right to the defender while on the run out of the pocket but, otherwise, he’s been sharper with Mullen’s tutelage.

The coach credited his first-time offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Corey Dennis for clicking with Colandrea immediately and the pair developing a playcalling synergy.

“He’s picked it up fast, he’s really learned,” Mullen said of Colandrea’s transition to his offense. “I think a lot of help came from the multiplicity our defense showed in all the practices of him getting comfortable within the system.”

Colandrea displayed the full scope of his abilities with the scores alone against the Bearkats.

His first touchdown pass was a 43-yard bomb to senior receiver Jaden Bradley. The second had more touch, a 3-yard spiral to junior receiver DeAngelo Irvin in the corner of the end zone.

Then, the final score to put the Rebels up a game-high 25 points, showed Colandrea’s rushing ability as he made a couple cuts and sliced through arm tackles for a 13-yard run into the end zone.  

Colandrea has been so exhilarating that it’s fair to wonder if there was ever any real chance he wouldn’t win the job in a much-publicized training camp battle with Michigan transfer Alex Orji.

Mullen is still rotating in the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Orji and bemoaned that he only got the senior three carries for seven yards against Sam Houston. But who could blame Mullen for the decrease from the week before when Orji had six carries for 34 yards and a touchdown along with going 3-for-3 passing for 37 yards?     

Colandrea was playing too well to pull out regularly.

“I grabbed him at the end of the game and his response was, ‘Coach all I care about is winning,’” Mullen said of Orji.

“He’s a game captain and there’s a reason he’s a game captain. What he brings every day to the program is special. He reminds me of guys with mental toughness. If you say, ‘Hey, who’s he like?’ He’s like a Tim Tebow-type player that has that type of demeanor, whatever it takes to win I just want to win of whatever you’re doing. That’s why I like him and that’s why he helps us.”

Orji is a luxury to have waiting in the wings, but the direction the UNLV offense is headed in is no great mystery. Colandrea will be center stage.

UNLV’s rise to prominence in the past two seasons has largely come as a result of implementing a high-powered attack in the form of the go-go offense. Even though Mullen is known for his offensive acumen after coaching players like Tebow and Dak Prescott at previous spots, there was some natural apprehension regarding whether the Scarlet and Gray could maintain their new exciting standard this season.

So far, so good.  

The Rebels have gone from the go-go to the Co-Go — the offense will go as far as Colandrea can take it. Win or lose, expect thrills from the quarterback position as long as he’s in.

“I feel like Coach Dennis has done a great job of just being a great coach and finding the little details,” Colandrea said. “I feel like as an offense, we can execute.”