How an 'Extend the Play' Philosophy Raises Nebraska’s Offensive Floor

The man calling the plays isn't the issue, and that is backed by more than two decades' worth of playcalling duties to this point in Dana Holgorsen's career.

Instead, there's a very real possibility that what the former 13-year head coach had problems with in his first full season at Nebraska was his personnel. Without dismissing the abilities of players or coaches, it was clear that something was limiting what the Huskers could do, even with (seemingly) so much talent on the team. Now, after seeing several departures and additions for various reasons over the offseason, the 54-year-old suggested his 2026 team is more closely resembling those he's found success with in the past.

If it translates to the field this fall, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's hiring of the former Broyles Award finalist would be confirmed. If not, the Big Red will have to take a serious look in the mirror. But if early reports offer any indication, the process, with a new signal-caller, is off to a good start.

Nebraska's addition of will-be senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea wasn't much of a gamble considering how much experience he's already gained. In the three years before coming to Lincoln, the former UNLV and Virginia signal-caller has played in 33 collegiate games with 31 starts. He's also totaled more than 8,600 all-purpose yards and 61 total touchdowns.

But it isn't just his experience or skill that sticks out. Instead, it's his poise and ability to extend plays that have turned heads on the practice field to this point. It's even something Holgorsen stated he's never seen before- at least to this level from a quarterback on his team.

"I've never had that mobile of a quarterback," said Holgorsen at a media availability earlier this spring. "I've never coached extending plays like I am right now. He has a really good understanding of off-schedule stuff". To Holgorsen's credit, in his career, he's managed to put five different quarterbacks in the NFL and seen five starting signal-callers gain more than 300 rushing yards in a single season, which means that anything good the 54-year-old has to say about a quarterback should stick out.

I'm not saying this should warrant NFL hype for Colandrea, but it is worth noting that he possesses a skill unlike any other quarterback the 33-year coaching veteran has ever seen with his own eyes. It's simply worth noting, and frankly, it's likely worth being excited for, especially considering two different quarterbacks went over the 500 rushing yard mark in a season under his playcalling guidance.

It hasn't been long since Nebraska has had a mobile signal-caller, but it has been long since we've seen one that can take care of the ball at a high level on top of his playmaking ability. That will be the challenge for Colandrea in lone season in Lincoln. If he can limit turning the ball over and do what he's done consistently throughout his collegiate career, the Florida native could give the Huskers exactly what they've been missing from the most important position on the entire team for the last several years.

As stated in the same media availability, Holgorsen suggested his will-be senior signal-caller is off to a good start. Though ultimately, NU is spending much of the offensive install periods bringing Colandrea's teammates up to speed. Of that, Nebraska's offensive coordinator suggested head coach Matt Rhule has been showing his team tape of a Heisman Finalist from last fall, and how the offensive weaponry around him adapted to his unique skills.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wasn't the fastest, tallest, or most talented player on any field, but he did have a relentlessness that little could match. So much so, the 6-0, 205-pound senior led the Commodores to finish the 2025 season ranked No. 9 nationally in total offense, on their way to scoring 38.5 points per game. For context, the Huskers finished ranked 82nd nationally and averaged nearly a full 10 points below Vanderbilt at 28.7 points per contest.

It wasn't that Pavia could just carve up the SEC, which he did ultimately do, but what separated him was his ability to create plays off schedule, specifically, in cohesion with the pass-catchers around him. For Rhule and Holgorsen, they're hoping the inspiration from watching the Commodores offense in meeting rooms begins to take hold on the field for Nebraska this spring. To the head coach's credit, the team seems to be getting it early on from Holgorsen's point of view.

"He showed them Diego [Pavia], the Vanderbilt quarterback," said Holgorsen. "A lot of his plays were off-schedule. I'm telling you, it looked as good as I've ever seen, as far as him extending the play and receivers accelerating to open spots. He showed the team that, and we went out there and started working on it. I think it's starting to click".

If that does turn out to be the case, Husker fans shouldn't necessarily expect a top 10 offense in the country next fall, but it absolutely would allow them the opportunity to make explosive plays through the air at a significantly higher clip than they did a season ago. That was arguably the biggest missing piece to NU's offense in 2025. And for a litany of reasons as to why it didn't happen, the Big Red are hoping that what they did in the transfer portal this offseason across multiple offensive position groups helped address that.

There's still a steep learning curve for the players around Nebraska's new (projected) starting quarterback. Colandrea is used to scrambling around making plays, but for many on the Huskers roster, they've grown accustomed to a stationary guy. For the last two seasons, NU featured a signal-caller with all the arm talent in the world. But where he lacked was when the protection broke down, and it capped the Big Red's ceiling offensive in a major, undeniable way.

So, now, with a new-look QB who appears to be nearly the polar opposite of the previous guy, Nebraska will attempt to get back to what Holgorsen knows best. However, that will take a change in mindset from the skill positions surrounding the quarterback to happen quickly. Still, the Huskers' offensive coordinator suggested the concept has reverberated to those groups in a surprisingly fast way.

"That's really resonated with the wideouts, the running backs, and the tight ends," Holgorsen said. "We weren't very good at extending plays and off-schedule stuff last year. So, the receivers got really lazy when the play broke down. That's been a big area of focus. I'm encouraging those guys to extend the plays".

He even took it a step further by stating it used to, "Piss me off when guys would extend plays," but now with a quarterback capable of thriving in those situations, he changed his mind. Understanding that, it's clear to see there's been a philosophy change since we last saw the Huskers take the field. 2026 is sure to look different from a year ago, but what exactly does it mean for the trajectory of the offensive unit as a whole?

It remains to be seen, but from comments surrounding the topic via players and coaches alike, Colandrea seems to have provided a much-needed breath of fresh air into the Huskers' offense. For now, it only means so much, but I'll definitely argue that it raises the Big Red's offensive floor by a noteworthy degree. Gone are the days of being sacked 33 times in 13 games (hopefully). Instead, a more mobile quarterback, an agile offensive line, and a quick-learning wide receiver core will attempt to gel together to bring explosion back to Nebraska's team.

They may no longer have a five-star quarterback featured as the face of the program, but they appear to have one who fits what the Huskers' offensive staff wants to do. That is why it raises the floor. NU won't be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole any longer. Instead, they'll have a quarterback capable of escaping the pocket and creating on his own, which allows the offense to dictate what the defense does, not the other way around.

Because of that, Nebraska seems to be sitting in a good place at this point in the spring. I'd even arguably say the offense has been giving the defense fits, from the sound of it. With so much new on that side of the ball, it is encouraging, to say the least. Regardless, spring is spring and fall is fall, so anything done against the Huskers' defense matters little when we know nothing about how formidable they are against the top tier of the Big Ten. Still, by Holgorsen's account, things are going well, and that is all you can ask for this early on in the 2026 season. Improvements need to be made, but from everything being shared with the media this spring, NU is well on its way to doing just that.