Following Nebraska’s win over Ohio, starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea racked up a ton of praise from coaches, fans and analysts. Earlier this week, he even got some unique praise from one former Husker quarterback turned coach.
Joe Ganz appeared on the Carriker Chronicles to discuss the Huskers in general, and the conversation quickly turned to Colandrea’s performance. While Ganz was plenty impressed by Colandrea’s raw numbers, it was his leadership that stood out the most.
“What I liked is, I think it was — I can't remember — like a skinny post he threw that went right off the fingertips of a wide receiver,” Ganz said about Colandrea’s fire and holding his Nebraska teammates accountable. “You saw him kind of turn to the sideline, and he was getting after somebody. He's got a little bit of stuff to him.”
That play wasn't the only time Colandrea was seen getting after his teammates when they dropped a pass. Unfortunately, it happened too often: the Huskers were credited with just 3 drops, but there were other passes where the catch might have been difficult but should have been made. Gilmer, the receiver Ganz was referring to, had two drops and at least one other play where he should have made the catch.
Joe Ganz backs Anthony Colandrea’s fiery leadership for Nebraska football
Some Nebraska fans voiced that Colandrea’s histrionics might not sit well with his teammates, but Ganz feels like his behavior on Saturday didn’t cross the line.
“As long as you're doing everything you can, in terms of you're putting in the work, and you're showing it at practice, I think that's good for a quarterback to do.”
“You see the greats do it. You see the guys on the sideline, like the Tom Bradys and all that stuff, getting after the guys because they've earned that right.”
On the flip side, Ganz is right that if a player isn’t performing at the highest level and is making mistake after mistake, he doesn’t have the standing to call out teammates.
So far, Anthony Colandrea has the reputation that gives him the room to hold his receivers accountable when they make a mistake. Not only was he the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year with UNLV last year, but he also played a very solid game against Ohio.
The newest Nebraska quarterback only completed 18 of 32 passes, but he threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns while also showing the kind of poise in the pocket the Huskers have been missing the last few years.
Ganz, who followed up his Nebraska football career by going into coaching, has been the QB coach for Middle Tennessee State and certainly knows when someone at the position is doing their job right and when things need to be tweaked.
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