Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea landed on the Maxwell Award watch list Monday morning, adding another line to a college career that has already been built on production at multiple stops.
Colandrea arrived at Nebraska after playing at Virginia and then UNLV, where he earned Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors last season. In that one year with the Running Rebels, he threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 649 rushing yards and 10 scores.
Across three college seasons, Colandrea has completed 627 of 983 passes for 7,542 yards and 49 touchdowns. He has also logged 328 carries for 1,151 yards and 12 touchdowns since starting his career at Virginia.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said Colandrea has settled in well and is handling the reality that comes with playing quarterback for the Cornhuskers.
"I like the way he carries himself. I like the confidence he has.
I think he's a great yin to my yang. I think he brings so much.
But he's going to have to anticipate that," Rhule said. "Honestly, it can break some guys.
It's broken some guys. It can.
No one wants to have your heroes tell you (that) you suck. No one wants to hear a former player say, 'Well, that guy sucks.'
Or that guy has to play better. No one wants to hear that."
The Maxwell Award has been given to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named for Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, a former Swarthmore College standout who later became a respected sportswriter and football official. Colandrea is one of 17 Big Ten players on the initial 81-man watch list, the most of any conference.
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