Tag: Ethan Garbers

DeShaun Foster staying coy amid QB1 questions

Who will be the starter? Only time will tell.

Ethan Garbers is recovering from the injury that kept him out against Penn State. Justyn Martin is looking for another start after showing what he was capable of against the Nittany Lions.

With a home game against Minnesota in Week 7, UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster remains mum on who will be the starter, at least as of Wednesday and Thursday.

While a final word will be available soon, Foster revealed why he isn’t showing his hand, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

“I have an opponent that’s for sure looking at what you guys post,” Foster told reporters, “so that’s why it is what it is. If I could tell you guys and you wouldn’t post it, I would tell you, but that’s not necessarily what’s going to happen.”

Only time will tell who will start for UCLA, but Foster is trying to keep some things hidden.

Will UCLA football be better with Justyn Martin?

UCLA’s quarterback change could improve the offense as a whole.

UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster made the biggest coaching decision of his career in Westwood last weekend.

Benching starting quarterback Ethan Garbers for up-and-coming signal-caller Justyn Martin, Foster made the change ahead of their losing effort to Penn State.

On the season, Garbers completed 67 of 117 passes for 808 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. Naturally, Foster made the change to reinvigorate a sliding Bruins team in hopes of picking up some wins down the stretch.

Martin has only attempted 35 passes in his college football career, all of which came against Penn State last Saturday. But the quarterback change could breathe new life into the sluggish Bruins offense.

Though not as athletic as Garbers, Martin is a decisive passer who could lend himself to a more conventional, efficient offense. For a Bruins team looking to “get back to the basics,” Martin offers the Bruins a chance to move the chains effectively and avoid the back-breaking turnovers that have plagued the Bruins thus far.

If Foster continues to play Martin, expect a relatively smooth offensive attack and the Bruins to be competitive well into the second half going forward.

Photos from UCLA Bruins loss to Penn State

UCLA’s loss to Penn State through the lens.

The UCLA Bruins dropped their second-straight game to a Big Ten opponent on the road this week, falling to #7 Penn State 27-11 and the bottom of the standings.

Though the Bruins defense held its ground against a dynamic Nittany Lions offense, UCLA’s offense, on the other hand, played an unfortunately characteristic game. Accumulating only 260 yards of total offense, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s impact on the Bruins offense has yet to be seen.

Hopefully, with a quarterback change from the floundering Ethan Garbers to Justyn Martin, the Bruins could show some signs of life as their schedule gets softer down the stretch.

In the meantime, questions of DeShaun Foster’s legitimacy as a Big Ten-caliber coach remain. Here are the best photos from UCLA’s game at Penn State.

UCLA football loses to Penn State in embarassing fashion

UCLA dropped another Big Ten game after another dismal offensive performance.

The UCLA Bruins dropped their third straight game of the 2024 college football season to No. 7 Penn State 27-11. Their second-straight loss to a Big Ten opponent, after losing to Oregon last week, not even a quarterback change could bolster the Bruins offense.

Head coach DeShaun Foster made the change from the struggling Ethan Garbers to sophomore Justyn Martin, who finished with 167 yards on 22-30 passing with a touchdown. Though Martin showed some surprising success in a hostile environment, the change was not enough to be a deciding factor.

The Bruins offense mustered only 11 points, with eight of them scored within the final thirty seconds. Unable to run the ball once again, with the team accumulating a meager 93 yards on 29 carries, UCLA’s offense was as ugly as it was inefficient.

Where the Bruins go from here, however, will be interesting to watch unfold.

The quarterback change will likely stick, as the younger, more dynamic Martin offers the Bruins a higher upside with the potential to grow. But if UCLA’s offense continues to underwhelm, Bruins fans could be in for a long season as they take on a frisky Minnesota team at home in only one week.

Oct 5, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster claps his hands from the sideline during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

UCLA QB1 up in the air for Penn State showdown

The QB questions remain for UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins have a difficult task on hand facing Penn State on the road in Week 6. On top of that, DeShaun Foster is unsure which quarterback will get the nod.

Ethan Garbers was unable to practice again on Wednesday, and it was backup Justyn Martin who got some run (h/t Greg Pickel of On3.)

“We’re able to get Jusyn Martin a couple more reps [at Wednesday’s practice],” Foster said. “Ethan took a lot of just mental reps today. Hopefully we’ll see what he can do [on Thursday].”

“He’s doing well,” Foster said of Martin. “[Wednesday] was [about] if we can get Justyn some more reps, just in case. I’m pleased with what he’s doing, commanding the huddle and getting guys lined up in the right position. Justyn is making strides and trending in the right direction.”

Garbers has not played well this season, but Martin getting his first start in Happy Valley would also be a tough draw for UCLA.

What the UCLA Bruins can do to jumpstart Ethan Garbers

The UCLA Bruins may not have won their game aginst LSU, but they did find some answers on offense.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers has had a rough start to the 2024 college football season. After shaky performances through the first two weeks, Garbers turned things around against the LSU Tigers in the losing effort.

On the season, Garbers has 690 yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions, and is completing 56.7% of his passes. That said, against top-25 LSU, Gabers managed to complete just north of 60% of his passes. Moreover, the Bruins had success against LSU by spreading the ball to different receivers.

By throwing to halfbacks in the flat, Garbers and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had success opening the middle of the field against the Tigers last Saturday.

Forcing cornerbacks and linebackers to cheat downfield, Garbers had receivers and tight ends streaking up the seam for easy completions.

Given UCLA’s inability to run the ball this season, managing a mere 60.3 yards per game on the ground, UCLA is still capable of forcing the defense into difficult spots by first throwing underneath and then exploiting the secondary later in unique ways.

Opposing defensive coordinators will eventually smarten up to the Bruins plan, but by giving Garbers easy completions early at the line of scrimmage, the Bruins can open up the field, keep the defense guessing, and help build UCLA’s quarterback some confidence going forward.

Previewing the UCLA Bruins offense ahead of Week 5 game vs. Oregon Ducks

UCLA’s offense is off to a slow start, but offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is looking to turn things around very quickly.

The UCLA Bruins faced one of the strangest situations a program will have to endure this past offseason, as its head coach, Chip Kelly, skipped town for a “lesser” job as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Not only that, but the projected starter at quarterback, Dante Moore, left the Bruins knowing he would be Dillon Gabriel’s backup for a year at Oregon.

On paper, however, the Bruins seemingly made two good hires to overcome those deficiencies with first-time head coach and former UCLA running back DeShaun Foster and NFL veteran offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to run the offense.

But football is played on the field, not on paper, and the results haven’t been there for the Bruins in their first three games of the season. But one has to think that the offense will eventually get there.

Quarterback Ethan Garbers, a senior and former California Bear, is a veteran and moving into the Big Ten shouldn’t phase him. It hasn’t been pretty, however. Garbers is completing nearly 58 percent of his passes, but he has just three touchdowns to his name and four interceptions.

“I think he’s very athletic. He’s a guy that, when he does scramble, he scrambles and looks to throw,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Garbers. “I think that’s something. He’s had some success in each of his games. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable, but he throws a good ball and he’s able to really attack the soft zone really well and is getting more and more comfortable in their system.”

In their Big Ten opener against Indiana, a game the Hoosiers easily won 42-13, Garbers was just 14-of-23 passing for 137 yards and one interception. It wasn’t a good performance and Indiana is by far not the best team the Bruins will face in conference play this season.

The running game hasn’t gotten on track either.

Their leading rusher, TJ Harden, leads the team on the ground with just 24 yards a game. The aerial attack is a little better, but not by much. Garbers averages 230 yards a game and his favorite receiver, at least in the early going, seems to be Harden out of the backfield. He leads the team with 12 catches.

When Garbers is able to throw the ball down the field, his main target is Rico Flores, Jr., who is averaging almost 18 yards per reception. Former Duck Moliki Matavao has seven catches for 85 yards.

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UCLA football drops second-straight game, fall to LSU Tigers

The UCLA Bruins fell to the LSU Tigers after a strong first-half performance.

UCLA’s loss to the #16 LSU Tigers on Saturday was a tale of two halves. After a strong start in Death Valley, the Bruins and Tigers were tied heading into the third quarter 17-17. Then, the wheels came off.

Falling to Brian Kelly’s Tigers 34-17, the Bruins suffered their second-straight loss of the 2024 college football season on the road and fell to the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Despite a promising performance from quarterback Ethan Garbers, who finished with 281 yards on 22-36 passing with two touchdowns and an interception, the Bruins offense stalled during the second half. Shut out in the third and fourth quarters, UCLA’s lack of coaching experience was on full display, as they failed to make necessary in-game adjustments to improve the offense’s production and control LSU’s pass rush.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bruins offensive line and running game continued to flail, with the UCLA leading rusher Keegan Jones only tallying 22 yards on three carries. That said, their performance should inspire cautious optimism for fans.

Proving that they can be competitive with Top-25 programs if UCLA’s offense can balance the run and the pass, the Bruins should be able to stay in games against good opponents.

The Bruins next test will be on September 28th as they play host to fellow former Pac-12 rival Oregon.

Ethan Garbers, TJ Harden stock down after UCLA’s Week 1 clash

Both the QB and RB are trending down…

The UCLA Bruins’ narrow win over Hawaii left plenty of questions to be answered. One of the biggest was regarding the play of quarterback Ethan Garbers.

However, DeShaun Foster admitted it could’ve been jitters, and UCLA has a Week 2 bye before the Big Ten opener against Indiana at home.

Still, both Garbers and running back TJ Harden appeared in the stock-down category of College Sports Wire’s piece. Here’s what Rodney Knuppel said about Garbers:

Ethan Garbers looked pretty poor in the first half. The UCLA quarterback got things together, however, and finished with a decent game. He completed 19 of 38 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown. His lone interception was a poor throw, and he was off balance. He did lead the Bruins in rushing yards with 47. Garbers will need to be better for the Bruins to have a chance in the Big Ten.

Fans questioned Garbers’ performance after the game, but hopefully he will improve going forward.

As for Harden, here’s what Knuppel wrote:

Yikes. This may be more about the offensive line and play calling for the Bruins than it is about TJ Harden, but his nine carries for nine yards is very concerning.

Harden was projected to have a big season for the Bruins. He got nothing. He looked a little off, and a tad slow. His stock plummeted after week one.

There are reasons to be concerned, but it’s the first game with a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Let’s not panic just yet.

Ethan Garbers 14th in Athlon Sports Big Ten QB list

Ethan Garbers has a lot to prove.

The Big Ten Conference has plenty of talent on the field, especially with teams such as Michigan, Oregon, Ohio State, USC and Penn State.

As such, the quarterback position is filled with a ton of talent.

Prior to the season, Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports compiled a ranking of the Big Ten quarterbacks. In the list, Garbers was 14th, ahead of just MJ Morris, Luke Altmyer, Athan Kaliakmanis, and Mike Wright.

Here’s what Lassan wrote about Garbers.

Intrigue surrounds UCLA’s offense with former NFL assistant Eric Bieniemy calling plays under new coach DeShaun Foster. Garbers played in 11 contests (with six starts) last season and showed promise with 1,136 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. The California native also added 127 yards on the ground over 35 carries. The Bruins have a few holes to plug along the offensive line, but Bieniemy has a standout running back (TJ Harden) and talent to work with at receiver to help Garbers’ development.

Garbers has a lot to prove, and it certainly didn’t help that he struggled in Week 1 against Hawaii. The pressure is on for the UCLA signal-caller.