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.