Since the end of last season, it’s been clear that Virginia’s quarterback battle would be fought out in spring practice and would almost surely go long into fall camp. And on Saturday, Tony Elliott made public what had long been anticipated by some, ending a months-long battle in naming sophomore Anthony Colandrea his Week 1 starter.
Colandrea and Tony Muskett waged what could be considered a very fierce competition for the starting job over the offseason, both having played last year and both having demonstrated ability in doing so. Ultimately Colandrea won out, though both he and Muskett will need to be prepared to play at any moment. As UVa found out last year, the injury bug can plague the quarterback position and force the backup into duty on any given play.
Last year, it was AC10 entering service after injuries to Muskett, first in the season opener against Tennessee and later when he went down in early November against Georgia Tech. Colandrea ended up playing in eight games, six as a starter, and two in relief. Those snaps surely proved pivotal for the Florida native and helped put the Wahoos in a position where they could name either quarterback the starter and feel good about it.
Colandrea is coming off a very promising rookie season, playing and playing quite well, something rarely done by first-years anywhere and certainly not at Virginia. He completed 62.6 percent of his passes last year, throwing for 1,958 yards and 13 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. He led the Wahoos in their home opener, their rivalry finale against Virginia Tech, and into road environments at Maryland and Louisville. Colandrea was a sneaky-good runner, too, which may have helped his case to be the starter. He rushed for 225 yards, including sack yards lost, and had back-to-back 60+ yard rushing games against Louisville and Duke.
The biggest area where he will need to show improvement this year is one that is not totally on the quarterback, but is the most important stat there is: The win/loss record. Last year, Colandrea was 1-5 in games started and the Hoos were 0-2 when he came off the bench. His lone win came late in the season against Duke, in what was arguably his best performance, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 66 more. And it’s noteworthy that he didn’t turn the ball over in that win. Colandrea had five of his nine picks over a two-week span against Maryland and NC State, and improved thereafter.
Still, he had interceptions in three of his last four games started as well, with the win over Duke the exception. And that’s another big area of opportunity for Colandrea, taking care of the football. Perhaps the fact that he won the job shows that he’s demonstrated progress there or perhaps his explosiveness is enough to overcome any gap there was in ball security between he and Muskett.
While there’s plenty to work on, the talent is clearly there for the Sunshine State product. Colandrea came in and played like a veteran last year, and some credit for that has to go to the offensive staff, in particular quarterback coach Taylor Lamb, for having him ready to go and ready to play so early in his career. And while UVa has had some solid to good quarterback play in recent years, the idea of starting Colandrea and this being the true beginning of his “era” at UVa is an exciting proposition.
All told, Colandrea is a fun player to watch that has a knack for extending plays. He makes the game exciting and he seems to revel in that. And given his youth, he’s potentially just scratching the surface of what he can be, which is another boost for a program that needs to show a long-term vision for their turnaround.
A great starting quarterback is the best way to make that happen and perhaps Colandrea can be that guy. Perhaps Muskett will end up playing this year through injury or a lineup change, but while he’ll be gone after this season, Colandrea could be at Virginia for the next several years. And given what Cavalier fans have seen from him, that’s an exciting idea.
UVa desperately needs to get out to a good start, and this weekend will have a chance to go 1-0 against an FCS opponent in Richmond. Granted, the Spiders are a solid program that could certainly challenge the Hoos, but this is one that UVa and Colandrea need to get.
Time will tell how long or how successful the Colandrea era will be in Charlottesville, but heading into the first game of the season there’s reason for excitement about where UVa’s most important position stands.
