3 Takeaways From Bruins' Win Over Nebraska

Let's take a look at three major areas of Saturday's game that were essential to UCLA's victory over Nebraska.

Nov 2, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) scrambles out of bounds against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

UCLA football is coming along at just the right time.

With Saturday's win over Nebraska, the Bruins have won two straight games for the first time this season and, if you can believe it, could actually make a bowl game if they win three of their final four contests.

It will be far from easy, but UCLA has momentum.

Saturday's 27-20 victory seemed like a turning point in the season. Here are three takeways from the win:

Another clean game from Garbers helped Bruins tremendously

For the second straight game, UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers took care of the football, finishing Saturday's game without a pick.

Through the Bruins' first six games, Garbers had thrown nine interceptions, which, even now, is tied for second in the Big Ten. It's clear that his back-to-back turnoverless outings have been a major factor in these last two UCLA victories.

Not only is it helping the Bruins win, but it's allowing Garbers to get into a rhythm. For the second game in a row, he has thrown for over 200 yards and completed multiple touchdown passes.

And the ball protection has been especially essential given the nature of these two wins -- both were merely by a single possession.

Bruins finally found their run game

Establishing the run game was going to be crucial going into this contest, and it certainly proved to be.

For the first time this season, the Bruins reached 100 rushing yards, and they even bested the Huskers in that area of the game, finishing with 139 compared to Nebraska's 113.

Going into Saturday, Nebraska had ranked fifth in the country in run defense, while UCLA was last in the Big Ten in run offense. The ground effort was led by none other than Garbers, who finished the game with 56 yards on his feet. Bruins running back T.J. Harden finished second on the team in the category with 46 on 11 carries.

UCLA won despite its abundance of penalties

The Bruins were penalized nine times in the contest, for a total of 62 yards lost. Meanwhile, Nebraska finished with just two penalties.

UCLA leads the conference in total penalties (64), total penalty yards (561), penalties per game (8.0) and penalty yards per game (70.1).

When you look at this with a negative mindset, it's clear the self-inflicted wounds need to be addressed. But on the bright side, it shows just how much good the Bruins did to win, as the margin of victory could have been wider.

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