‘An unbelievable player’: QB Colandrea takes control of UNLV offense

They talk about it often. Mental, emotional and physical maturity. Pieces of information you learn throughout a day that will ultimately help you become a more all-around player.

Reps. Lots of reps.

“Every day, every practice, every week, he gets a little better and I start to feel more comfortable with him and he starts to feel more comfortable with the offense,” Corey Dennis said.

And the UNLV football team benefits from all of it.

The Rebels are 4-0 and awaiting their Mountain West opener at Wyoming on Saturday, having thus far been led by a junior quarterback who seemingly improves with each passing victory.

Anthony Colandrea is the transfer from Virginia who has assumed control and run with it, completing over 70 percent of his passes while ranking second in rushing behind star back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas.

It will take some time for Colandrea to fully grasp the coach Dan Mullen’s offense, the one for which Dennis as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach calls plays.

Orji’s injury

It was supposed to be different. UNLV brought in two transfer quarterbacks — Colandrea and junior Alex Orji from Michigan — that were both scheduled to see time.

But then Orji suffered a hamstring and knee injury during a win against UCLA and was lost for the season.

“Obviously, there was a goal to play both and there was a role to play both,” Dennis said. “We don’t have Alex now, which is a huge loss. But we have other guys in the room that can do a lot of things.”

Colandrea being the main one.

You can see his maturation in numbers. Dennis constantly preaches to take what a defense gives you, not to force action that isn’t there. To trust yourself when scanning a field.

Eight different names have caught touchdown passes through four games. It’s a sign Colandrea isn’t just focused on one or two receivers. It’s a sign he doesn’t merely come off his first read if it’s not open and takes off. Athletic as he is.

“An unbelievable player,” Dennis said. “He’s so dynamic. He definitely makes my life easier. I didn’t realize (eight) players have caught touchdowns. It’s a testament of (Colandrea) saying, ‘Hey, if my first read isn’t there, I’ll work through my progression and be able to find different guys instead of just locking in on one.’ ”

It has varied throughout Mullen’s career, how fast a quarterback will totally grasp the scheme. Some take to things faster than others. Colandrea is one of those guys.

He is constantly watching film with Dennis and beginning to understand why certain plays are called in specific situations. What the true purpose of a play is.

“He knows we’re going to take our shots but if it’s not there, check it down,” Dennis said. “If there is a certain coverage, attack it. But if the coverage isn’t there, you better be able to manage things. He does a really good job with that.”

It showed in a 41-38 victory at Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks defensively spent most of the afternoon keeping UNLV receivers in front of them and denying many deep routes.

But on the Rebels’ final drive, Miami went to more of a man look and Colandrea made them pay with a vertical sideline completion that helped set up a winning field goal.

“They had their reasons for doing what they did but it goes back to Day 1 — you don’t have to force things until they give you an opportunity to attack,” Dennis said. “We saw something there and had a play where we were able to take a shot.”

This much is true: The presence of Thomas — who has a team-best 391 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for an average of 8.7 yards — helps Colandrea’s development.

And the quarterback realizes what he has in Thomas.

So does the guy calling plays.

No ceiling

“Would you rather throw it 50 yards down the field and let the defense run back or check it down to (Thomas),” Dennis said. “(Colandrea) understands that Jet is an unbelievable player.”

Dennis says there is no ceiling for the quarterback, that he owns the talent and skill to do whatever he wants. That he’s trying to improve and peak at the right time. That things are hitting just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Colandrea running the offense.

“The more he learns, the more we can open things up a little bit,” Dennis said. “He understands protection checks, he changes routes, he understands leverage of a defense and how he wants to attack it.

“How do you become a better quarterback? Reps. More and more reps. I’ve been so proud of him through four weeks.”

The proof is in the record.

So far, it’s perfect.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.