We’re only a minute into the 2nd Qtr and already this is the Ethan Garbers I was hoping to see from the start of the season. He’s 12-of-15, 80%, for 100 yards and 1 TD. UCLA had the ball to start the game and ran a very balanced 11 play 75 yard drive mixed with runs by Jalen Berger and TJ Harden in between pass completions by Garbers including a 5 yard TD pass to Logan Loya to take the early 7-0 lead. Rutgers would come right back with an 8 play 75 yard drive of their own and a 1 yard run into the end zone by their Senior QB Athan Kaliakmanis to tie it up at 7 a piece.
UCLA just went for it, 4th and 1, at their own 20 yard line and made it thank goodness. Garbers just ran it in from around mid-field—man he is fast! I shouldn’t be surprised because in addition to the 9,462 passing yards and 128 TD’s to just 15 interceptions he threw in high school he also rushed for almost 800 yards and 18 more scores. Anyway, the Bruins are up 14-7. Excuse me, they are up 21-10 going into the break—more points than they’ve scored in any complete game this year. Garbers is now 21-of-25 for 224 yards, 2 TD’s and no picks.
Rutgers got the ball to start the second half and wasted no time closing that gap featuring three Kaliakmanis passes for 64 yards and two runs by their Senior RB Kyle Monangai, one for 30 yards and one for six into the end zone to make it 21-16 after a failed two-point conversion. After holding the Bruins to a three-and-out the Scarlet Knights would add three more at the end of an 11 play 41 yard drive and 35 yard field goal. Now down by just two points, 21-19. But this was Garbers’ day and UCLA expanded that to a 16 point lead at 35-19 with back-to-back TD’s on either side of a defensive three-and-out. The first on a Garbers’ 67 yard TD strike to Keegan Jones. The second at the end of a 10 play, 70 yard drive with a 9 yard TD pass to RB Jalen Berger. But Rutgers would come back right away on five consecutive Kaliakmanis completions and a Kyle Monangai 5 yard run into the end zone to make it 35-25 after yet another failed two-point conversion. UCLA had a chance on their next possession to increase that lead but missed on a 54 yard field goal attempt but their defense stepped up and intercepted Rutgers on the third play of their next possession. Possession of the ball with just over five minutes left and a ten point lead Garbers would experience his only hiccup of the game, fumbling during a sack six plays later to give the ball back to the Scarlet Knights with well over three minutes left. In a little over two minutes UCLA had just a three point lead, 35-32, and were in position to cover Rutgers on-side kick attempt which they did. Three kneel downs later by Garbers it was over and the monkey wasn’t just off his back it had been yanked off with force.
What an incredible day for Ethan Garbers. An 84% completion rate, 32-of-38, for 383 yards, 4 TD’s, and no interceptions while also rushing 9 times for 48 yards and their only TD on the ground. Senior RB Keegan Jones and TE Moliki Matavao collected most of those passes, 11 for 218 of those yards with Jones, fellow RB’s Jalen Berger and T. J. Harden, along with Senior WR Logan Loya the recipient of a TD each. On the ground the Bruins rushed 31 times for 95 yards with Garbers, Berger, and Harden leading the way. For the Scarlet Knights their Senior QB Athan Kaliakmanis connected on 18-of-30 for 287 yards, no TD’s and 1 pick as well as rushing 9 times for 23 yards and his only TD. On the ground Senior RB Kyle Monangai led the way with 106 yards and 3 TD’s on 19 attempts.
The Bruins who just squeezed by Hawaii to start the season had lost their last five games in a row to now No. 8 LSU and No. 16 Indiana who leads the Big Ten Conference, No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State and Minnesota by just four points in Week-7. What a gauntlet. But now with that streak broken, two wins under their belt including their first Big Ten win will it be possible with just five games left to become bowl eligible? I imagine after this breakout game by Garbers and exciting win on the road, if they don’t it won’t be for lack of desire. Although I think that it would have been better if they could have just stayed on the road and played this next weekend instead of going back home for a bye week before packing their bags again to take on the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.