As the Washington Huskies head back to the Midwest for one of their toughest matchups of the season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and his unit have their work cut out for them come Halloween night. Coming off an extended stretch of games squaring off against traditional pocket-passing quarterbacks, Washington's defense will face one of the most dynamic playmakers in the Big Ten, Nebraska signal caller Anthony Colandrea.
In his first year at Nebraska, the former Virginia and UNLV quarterback has been a key piece for offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson, leading the Huskers to over 400 yards of total offense per game and 35 points per contest.
Through seven games, the dual-threat has thrown for 1,570 yards,
14 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions. It's not his arm talent alone that makes him tough to slow down; he's also posted 334 yards rushing on the season, just 57 yards behind starting running back Jamal Rule.
UW DC Ryan Walters says Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea is the best QB they've seen to date. Major threat on the ground
— Dave “Softy” Mahler (@Softykjr) October 27, 2026
"He is the most challenging quarterback that we will have faced to date," Walters said on Tuesday. "He's obviously a major threat on the ground. Even though he's not like a big guy, per se, he runs like a running back. He's knocking you out of bounds; he'll cut back against the grain; obviously, he's fast; he can run away from people...and he can really throw the ball."
Matching up against the Huskers is nothing new for the soft-spoken coach, who faced them five times as a player at Colorado and four times since joining the Big Ten as a coach in 2021. In his time as the DC at Illinois, Walters was 2-0 against Nebraska before losing back-to-back matchups in 2023 and 2024 as the head coach at Purdue. The former safety went 2-3 during his playing career against the Huskers, dating back to both programs' days in the Big 12.
Just two weeks removed from picking up a road win over his former employer, Walters will look to pick up another key victory against a program he's very familiar with.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Ryan Walters Has High Praise for Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea
