Why Nebraska Quarterback Anthony Colandrea Was Named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

Elite efficiency in a dominant win led to his first weekly honor as a Husker.

Anthony Colandrea scrambles during the third quarter against Bowling Green. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska has a gunslinger on its hands.

Yet Husker fans weren't the only ones to take notice of his high level of play. On Monday, Anthony Colandrea was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after completing 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and a career-high four touchdowns while leading the Big Red to a 49-point win over Bowling Green.

Colandrea has gotten Nebraska's offense off to a hot start in 2026. The Cornhuskers are averaging 534.5 yards and 52.5 points per game. On 143 offensive plays, the Big Red have amassed 1,069 total yards, averaging 7.47 yards per play, and have the nation's 14th-ranked offense through Week 2.

While it's true that NU hasn't played the level of competition that many other power conference programs have faced, the Huskers have looked damn good doing what they were supposed to do.

Through two games, Colandrea has accounted for 553 all-purpose yards and eight scores. The UNLV transfer, who's coming off a 2025 season in which he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week on four different occasions, has already earned his first weekly award from the Big Ten.

Anthony Colandrea runs for a touchdown against Ohio. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Pro Football Focus, Colandrea earned an overall grade of 92.0 in Week 2 against Bowling Green, good for the highest mark a Husker quarterback has earned under Matt Rhule. Former starter Dylan Raiola's career-high mark was 86.6 in a 44-24 win over Wisconsin in November 2024.

For the second straight week, Colandrea was charged by PFF with zero turnover-worthy plays, despite throwing an interception when the ball was yanked away from the receiver on his way to the ground. After the turnover, he marched NU down the field on five consecutive touchdown drives.

Week 2 was the complete performance Husker fans were looking for from Colandrea. To his credit, he delivered while also seeing his season-long completion percentage rise to nearly 68%, something offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen had said he wanted to see.

Colandrea and the Big Red will play under the lights of Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening against the sixth-ranked team in the FCS, North Dakota (3-0). The Fighting Hawks have an electric quarterback of their own in Jerry Kaminski, who's totaled 801 passing yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Against a Fighting Hawks defense that has surrendered an average of just 260.3 total yards and 23.3 points per game, Colandrea's accolades won't guarantee him anything in Week 3. For Nebraska to win in the manner it's expected to, the Huskers will likely need another class-act performance from their QB1.

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