This is Who Nebraska Quarterback Anthony Colandrea is: Fiery, Cocky, Edgy, Effective

On Nebraska’s fourth play from scrimmage Saturday night, quarterback Anthony Colandrea took off on a run to the left. A few yards downfield trouble was waiting, with several North Dakota defenders lining him up.

Colandrea didn’t take the easy way out. He didn’t take a safe slide. He didn’t scamper out of bounds. He saw trouble and took it on.

That’s how Anthony Colandrea conducts his business.

Colandrea took on a North Dakota defender, shoulder pad to shoulder pad. Then, as he walked away, Colandrea gave the defender an earful.

Colandrea’s cockiness surprised maybe nobody in Memorial Stadium. On full display in front of a crowd of 86,217, Colandrea’s intangibles were evident — confident, edgy, brash.

In style and deed, this is who Anthony Colandrea is.

Colandrea’s swagger to lead

Nebraska, which defeated the Fighting Hawks, 34-7, begins its treacherous Big Ten schedule at Michigan State next Saturday afternoon. The Huskers are going to need every bit of Colandrea’s swagger and guile against the Spartans and through the conference schedule. There’s more to winning football than stats. Leadership emanating from the quarterback can go a long way.

Chirping at opponents isn’t the extent of Colandrea’s game-day conversations. He engages in animated dialogue — hands flailing sometimes — with his coaches when he comes to the sideline.

When games get tight, you sometimes need your quarterback to keep everything calm and keep everybody fired up. That’s a good trick, if you can pull it off -- calm and fired up. So far in the Huskers’ 3-0 season, Colandrea has shown how he controls the huddle, runs the offense and sometimes takes on unsuspecting defensive players.

This is the essence of Anthony Colandrea.

Colandrea's skill set

With true freshman Jamal Rule rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and the Huskers’ defense unyielding, Colandrea’s unique skills and presence weren’t necessarily required for a victory over North Dakota.

Still, Colandrea completed 15-of-21 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown. Colandrea has a knack for improvising when necessary. At only 6-foot, Colandrea seems quite adept at that sidearm pass that gets the ball around rushing defenders.

He doesn’t hesitate to throw into a tight window. This was a possible flaw when he came to Nebraska, that he had a tendency to be reckless with the football, thus his 29 interceptions in 33 career games before he arrived in Lincoln.

With Nebraska, Colandrea has one interception in three games. Colandrea has completed 53-of-77 passes (68.8 percent) for 692 yards and eight touchdowns.

Colandrea also has gained 75 yards on the ground on 18 attempts — none more important than the 3-yard gain when Colandrea took on a defender, who probably didn’t expect to take such a hit from an undersized quarterback. Colandrea has gained 1,226 yards on the ground in his career.

Spartan Stadium awaits Huskers

Nebraska’s Big Ten hopes will get real interesting, real fast at East Lansing, which will be a 4 o’clock madhouse when the Huskers come to town. That’s when Colandrea’s coolness and fire will be on full display. A Big Ten opener has built-in pressure. For a Nebraska program trying to find itself, that pressure will be magnified.

Nebraska will need everything Colandrea brings to the table Saturday afternoon. For no matter how great Jamal Rule has been — and he has been truly outstanding along with his backfield mates — and no matter how protective the offensive line has been, and no matter how sturdy the defense has been, ultimately the Huskers will need their quarterback to win Big Ten games.

You never know what will be needed in a big game — the stats, the clutch plays, the game-defining moment, Colandrea’s bravado. Or, how he controls the offense with leadership skills that likely permeates throughout the entire squad.

What no one knows is how Colandrea and the Huskers will react to the improved competition of the Big Ten. What if they face adversity on the field, or on the scoreboard? How will the Huskers react?

Tight moments are when leaders take over … or they should. Don’t expect Colandrea to shrink away from whatever the Spartans, and Spartan Stadium, bring Saturday.

Because, in style and deed, this is who Anthony Colandrea is. Starting Saturday, he can show everybody … or not.

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