As the Nebraska football team prepares to play either Elijah Brown or Demond Williams at quarterback, the Washington Huskies may know they're facing Anthony Colandrea, but that doesn't make the task easy.
UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters knows he's got his work cut out for him, in no small part because he offers something not many Big Ten signal callers do this year. Colandrea isn't just someone who can avoid a pass rush; he runs for yards and touchdowns, and he has plenty of calls where he's the lead back.
"Our offense is a lot different than Nebraska's offense. So there's not a whole lot of correlation there in terms of being prepared to play Colandrea. He is the most challenging quarterback will have faced to date," Walters said earlier this week.
"You know, he obviously is a major threat on the ground. You know, even though he's not like a big guy, per se, he runs like a running back. He's not trying to get out of bounds. He'll cut back against the grain. Obviously, he's fast and can run away from people, can outrun angles, got a natural feel for pursuit angles," Walters continued.
Ryan Walters says Nebraska football QB Anthony Colandrea can run like a running back
Before adding that Colandrea also knows how to set defenders up to miss the tackle, the Washington defensive coordinator said he can hurt any team by throwing the ball.
Walters' comments about Colandrea were interesting because it was almost as though he knew his earlier comments about Nebraska and its fans would charge people up. While what he said was true, it almost felt like damage control to avoid giving anyone else bulletin-board material.
"I've played there as a player. Coached there is a coach," Walters said about Nebraska's Memorial Stadium earlier this week. "You know, the fan base is extremely passionate. You know, I think they've had a sellout since like 1962 or something like that. And so they are, you know, it's hostile. They understand the game. And it gets really quiet when you make plays there."
Colandrea will want to make his own big plays for Nebraska. If he does, the Huskies will have their hands full and the crowd will be plenty loud on Saturday night.
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