With keys to UNLV's offense, Anthony Colandrea has driven Rebels halfway to bowl eligibility

LAS VEGAS -- UNLV coach Dan Mullen glanced to his right, smiling devilishly at quarterback Anthony Colandrea after being asked about the progression of improvement and the junior transfer's decision-making since being handed the keys to the offense.

Fresh off Saturday's 30-23 win over UCLA - the Rebels' first victory over a Big 10 opponent in 22 years - Colandrea felt, and ignored, the glare.

He knew.

Though the 20-year-old committed what has probably been his biggest mistake of the young season late in the fourth quarter, a blunder that didn't turn out as catastrophic as it could have been, he helped the Rebels improve to 3-0 heading into a bye week.

"One of the things that I think Anthony's done an unbelievable job ... is his ability to improvise, his ability to make things happen out there on the field," Mullen said. "Kind of get outside of the play and create."

Creativity nearly nipped Colandrea when he appeared to throw a pick-six as he was being hauled to the ground, but his left knee hit before he let go of the ball, and he was ruled down.

Instead, Colandrea stayed unblemished as UNLV's QB1 and finished 15 of 21 for 203 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while the Rebels held off UCLA's late rally in front of an enthusiastic announced crowd of 36,117.

And just like that, the Rebels are halfway to bowl eligibility.

Through three games, Colandrea has completed 75.3% of his passes for 647 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception. The 6-foot, 205-pounder has also proved he can put his legs to work, as he's contributed on the ground to the tune of 175 yards on 30 rushes and one touchdown.

"What I'm really proud of with him is there's time to do it and there's time to be efficient," Mullen said. "Just take what they're giving you. And I think he's really mature and growing from the first time I saw him play a couple years ago, at Virginia."

Colandrea's poise was quite evident during the Rebels' second and third drives, both ending with passing touchdowns that pushed UNLV's lead to 17-0.

His soft touch either found targets at the right time with precision passes to keep momentum flowing during drives, or came into play with his two 21-yard touchdown strikes.

The first was to Nick Elksnis with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, the second was an over-the-shoulder floater perfectly placed in the arms of Troy Omerire with 5:39 left in the first half. Both emphasized the chemistry he has with his teammates.

"I feel like the biggest thing is that we've been playing together since January," Colandrea said. "So, we've kind of built a strong connection with everyone: receivers and backs and the offensive line.

"I feel like tonight we executed at a really high level in the first half."

Showing maturity, he also took accountability for sloppy play in the second half, where he said he broke from the pocket too early at times, despite his offensive line blocking well for him.

There's no doubt Colandrea's experience as a starter before arriving at UNLV has helped him, but it's his football acumen that's helped him learn Mullen's system.

The veteran coach has raved about how Colandrea has picked things up quickly, something that's obviously panned out with how the offense continues to flow.

"Seeing the talent that he had and seeing his ability to now grow and mature and become a quarterback, which can go lead the team and be a great decision maker during the course of the game," Mullen said.

While Mullen undoubtedly knows he has a capable backup with Alex Orji in the bullpen, when there's a need to mix schemes situationally, Colandrea has proven this is his offense.

"I feel like the biggest thing is we've come together as a family, as an offense," Colandrea said. "We're also super close off the field. So, that's like the biggest thing, if you're a close football team off the field, you can win football games."