Coach Griff’s Take: Nebraska Wants Anthony Colandrea’s Legs in the Game Plan

Matt Rhule has given Indiana another reason to prepare carefully for Anthony Colandrea.

At Monday’s press conference, Nebraska’s head coach made clear that he views his quarterback as part of the running game. He identified quarterback draws paired with run-pass options and zone reads as ways to make defenses account for Colandrea.

“We’re going to make people defend our quarterback and it opens up the passing game,” Rhule said.

Rhule’s October 5 remarks add an important layer to Saturday’s matchup. Indiana must prepare for called quarterback runs within Nebraska’s offensive structure while also accounting for Colandrea’s ability to escape when a passing play breaks down. Those are different defensive responsibilities.

Against Maryland, Colandrea demonstrated how dangerous the second can be. His 51-yard scramble helped set up a fourth-quarter touchdown during Nebraska’s decisive finish. He ended the afternoon with 238 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a career-high 108 rushing yards. Nebraska led 28–23 at halftime before pulling away with 20 unanswered second-half points to win 48–23.

His mobility helped fuel that finish. Nebraska’s defense contributed, too, holding Maryland scoreless after halftime. Nebraska’s Maryland recap

The question now is how deliberately the Huskers will build that running threat into Saturday’s offense.

A productive passer with a dangerous running dimension

Colandrea played two seasons at Virginia before transferring to UNLV for 2025. He moved to Nebraska following his season with the Rebels.

Under Dan Mullen at UNLV, he earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors, completed a school-record 65.9 percent of his passes and accounted for 33 passing and rushing touchdowns. UNLV’s player profile

Sources: UNLV, Nebraska’s official statistics through October 3 and career passing statistics. Combined and per-game figures are calculated from season totals. NCAA rushing totals include sack losses.

Those numbers show why Indiana cannot concentrate so heavily on containing Colandrea that it makes the passing game easier.

Anthony Colandrea quarterback runs change Indiana’s responsibilities

A scramble usually tests the pass rush’s containment and the coverage’s ability to hold up as a play extends. A designed quarterback run tests the defense’s run assignments from the beginning.

On a zone read, an unblocked defender can become the quarterback’s decision point. If that defender commits to the running back, the quarterback may keep the ball. Indiana needs a clear answer for who takes the back and who takes Colandrea.

A quarterback draw presents another challenge. Defenders reacting to a pass look must recognize the run and close the interior lanes. When a run-pass option is attached, the defense also has to account for the passing threat.

Those are the coaching implications of the concepts Rhule discussed. We should not assume Nebraska will use each one at a particular frequency, but Indiana has reason to prepare for them.

The Hoosiers cannot solve the problem solely by telling their defensive ends to keep Colandrea in the pocket. That addresses only part of the threat. Linebackers, interior defenders and secondary support players must understand how their responsibilities fit together against a called quarterback run.

Indiana’s coaches have seen him before

Curt Cignetti and Bryant Haines have firsthand experience preparing for Colandrea. When James Madison visited Virginia on September 9, 2023, Colandrea made his first collegiate start and completed 20 of 26 passes for 377 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. JMU escaped with a 36–35 victory. Haines was the Dukes’ defensive coordinator that season.

Virginia’s game recap | JMU’s 2023 coaching staff

That history is useful, but it is not a complete scouting report on today’s quarterback. Colandrea has since played two additional seasons in different offenses. The Virginia game also reinforces that his threat has never been limited to his legs.

Old Dominion provides the warning

Indiana has already experienced the cost of losing discipline against a mobile quarterback. In last season’s opener, Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph ran for touchdowns of 75 and 78 yards. Indiana won 27–14 and intercepted three passes, but those two explosive runs accounted for all of the Monarchs’ scoring. Joseph finished with 179 rushing yards. Indiana’s game recap

The lesson is that a defense can play well for long stretches and still give a mobile quarterback enough room to change the scoreboard.

Coach Griff’s take

For me, the central matchup is whether the Hoosiers can handle Colandrea as a runner without making his job easier as a passer.

Indiana needs pressure with containment, sound assignments against the read game and disciplined coverage when Colandrea extends a play. The objective should be to make its aggression coordinated.

Nebraska has a quarterback who can create a big play on his own. Its head coach is also looking for ways to create those opportunities by design. Indiana must be ready for both.

Related: First Look: Nebraska Presents Indiana With a Different Kind of Test