Rhule Picks Colandrea As Nebraska's Starting Quarterback

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule announced Saturday that transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea will start Week 1 against Ohio, ending an offseason competition for the job. Colandrea beat out fellow quarterbacks TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin for the role.

Colandrea arrives at Nebraska after one season at UNLV and two at Virginia. During his lone year with the Rebels, he threw for 3,459 yards with 23 touchdowns against nine interceptions while leading UNLV to a 10-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Mountain West play, earning him the conference's Player of the Year award. He also contributed 649 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, giving Nebraska a dual-threat option at the position. georgia league 4 live

The move fills a void left by Dylan Raiola, who transferred to Oregon. Nebraska finished last season 7-6 overall and 4-5 in conference play, with Lateef going 1-3 as starter after Raiola's season-ending injury in Week 9 against USC. Rhule said Colandrea's competitiveness and decision-making set him apart during camp, telling reporters, "Anthony would play for us right now. All the quarterbacks have done a nice job. Anthony, I think the biggest thing is he's very competitive, very fiery. He expects to win every play. He does a nice job disciplining himself to also take what's there and makes nice checks in the run/pass game, and can throw the ball deep."

Colandrea will be joined by another key transfer addition, wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, who arrives from UCLA after leading the Bruins in receiving last season with 50 catches for 535 yards and four touchdowns. Nebraska will also need to replace running back Emmett Johnson, who departed for the NFL Draft, with Colandrea's rushing ability expected to help offset that production loss. The Cornhuskers open their season at home against Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 5.