UNLV QBs tackle Mullen’s offense together: ‘They’re coming along nicely’
UNLV football is still in the installation phase under coach Dan Mullen. The group is learning on both sides of the ball. The message is much more is coming and you best be prepared.
It’s no different with the quarterbacks.
Anthony Colandrea and Alex Orji say they prefer the word camaraderie over competition, that they’re pushing one another to be the best they can be.
It’s not easy. Learning this offense certainly isn’t. But one of them will need to be ready to start when the Rebels open their season against Idaho State on Aug. 23 at Allegiant Stadium.
“They’re coming along nicely,” Mullen said. “They’re both in the first year of the system and a lot of quarterbacks don’t see great success running an offense until the third year, whether you’re in high school or college or the NFL.
“We have to accelerate things with these guys. They’re working hard and picking things up fast, getting to see a lot of defenses thrown at them, and we’re throwing a lot of offense at them. We just have to increase the speed of their decision making.”
He invented it
Colandrea transferred from Virginia and Orji from Michigan this offseason. Each has specific skills that translate well to Mullen’s spread offense.
Orji said the best thing about learning the offense is he and the other quarterbacks can lean on an expert right down the hall. Mullen and Hall of Fame coach Urban Meyer are credited with creating this system.
“It’s football in its purest form and helps you get smarter every day,” said Orji, a senior. “We’re pushing ourselves as quarterbacks every single day. (Colandrea) is out there making plays all over the field and has the most experience starting in our quarterback room. He’s a great guy to learn from. Good to have that guy.”
Mullen has spoken often about his team’s goals of winning the Mountain West and competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. He wants his players to exude a championship attitude.
But when he asked them recently who had ever been part of a national title team, only one could raise his hand.
That was Orji, who was part of the Wolverines’ championship-winning group in 2023.
“Think of that experience,” Mullen said. “Alex brings that leadership and toughness of being around a championship culture. That’s huge. Anthony is all about energy. He always brings everyone’s energy up at all times. He does a really good job with that.”
Said Orji: “That (national championship) allowed me to be around guys who were pros before they were pros. You know what it’s like to have that winning pedigree. You realize what it took and can now demand it from others.”
Colandrea talks about finishing, whether it’s a specific drill or competition in practice or school or whatever. College football, he says, is a job. So finish it.
You have to be in the building to learn. If you don’t have the desire to do so, you won’t pick up this offense.
There’s too much to it.
Reps aplenty
“We’re all new to it and none of us have been in a quarterback room with coach Mullen’s offense until now,” said Colandrea, a junior. “We’re all learning it together and playing off each other. The best thing is to be able to come out here and compete every day. All the quarterbacks have done a great job with that.”
The one thing UNLV’s quarterbacks and other positions aren’t missing in training camp is reps. They’re all getting plenty of them. Everyone is fighting for playing time.
“They’re competing to show we can put you on the field and trust you to get the job done,” Mullen said. “The more we do that, the more depth we can create and the better team we’re going to be.”
Camaraderie. Competition. Both words fit right now at quarterback. But they’re all learning things together, as the Rebels’ installation phase gets more and more detailed.
Things are being accelerated.
It’s on each of them to keep up.
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
