Quarterback Anthony Colandrea Named UNLV Rebels On SI Offensive Player Of The Week For Week 1

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea's Week 1 performance earns him UNLV Rebels On SI Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) looks for an open receiver during a NCAA college football game against Notre Dame | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels looked much better in Week 1 in their 38 - 21 victory against the Sam Houston Bearkats than they did in their Week 0 38 - 31 victory over the Idaho State Bengals. In Week 0, the star of the game on offense was running back Jai'Den Thomas; however, quarterback Anthony Colandrea established himself as the frontrunner for the starting quarterback job. In Week 1, it became clear that he was the top guy at the position. That led to his huge performance in Week 1, which has earned him UNLV Rebels On SI Offensive Player of the Week honors.

In Week 1, Colandrea took the reins and established himself as a star and the clear-cut QB1 in Las Vegas. He completed 19 of 23 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His rushing ability didn't have quite as big of an impact in this one as it did in the season opener in Week 0, but he still tacked on 23 yards and another TD. We would expect him to maintain this lead role moving forward, with Alex Orji mixing in situationally. If he continues on his current trajectory, he will be widely considered the best quarterback in the Mountain West Conference in 2025.

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Other Notable Performances

Wide Receiver Jaden Bradley

Bradley clearly has incredible chemistry with Colandrea. This was his second massive week in a row as he continues to establish himself as the clear WR1 in the Rebels offense. Once again, he more than doubled the yardage total of any other wide receiver on the team. He finished the game with six catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. JoJo Earle was the next closest receiver this week with four receptions for 66 yards, while DeAngelo Irvin Jr caught Colandrea's other TD pass.

Running Back Jai'Den Thomas

Thomas was the offensive star in Week 0, but came back down to earth a little bit in Week 1. He still had an outstanding game, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. His final stat line was nine carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. It's becoming clear that Rebels head coach Dan Mullen wants to use Thomas sparingly to keep him fresh. Thomas handled just nine of 32 carries with fellow running back Keyvone Lee carrying the ball seven times for 42 yards.

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