Bruins' Garbers Gives His Thoughts on Where Things Went South Offensively Against Washington

The UCLA Bruins had their three-game winning streak snapped on Friday night with a road loss to the Washington Huskies, 31-19. Quarterback Ethan Garbers spoke to the media postgame regarding the loss.

Nov 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies defensive lineman Russell Davis II (99) sacks UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (4-6) struggled heavily on offense and were to mount a timely comeback to take down the Washington Huskies (6-5) on the road, Friday night. Quarterback Ethan Garbers addressed the media postgame regarding the defensive pressure he felt and the lack of execution.

Garbers was under duress the entire night, being sacked six times, and flushed out of the pocket several times, being forced to run and scramble for plus yardage. The Huskies did an incredible job in the run defense as well, holding the Bruins to just 52 total ground yards.

“We just weren’t doing things on offense like we needed to do," Garbers said. "We weren’t executing at the level we need to to be successful and win a game. That’s on everybody. We just got to come back to work on Sunday and figure where this next week is headed.”

Garbers keyed in on the defensive front that was extremely successful for the Huskies. They came in as one of the worst rush defenses in the Big Ten but did not perform like it on Friday night. It was senior night and the final home game of the season, the Huskies came to play and did not miss.

“We knew what they were going to do," Garbers said. "They like to get in those five up fronts and have twist games and create movement at the line of scrimmage. We just got to do a better job of communicating before the snap and getting the protection dialed in. I’ve got to do a better job, also, of getting rid of the football faster and having that mental clock in my head and finding guys that are open.”

The Bruins had their fair share of opportunities to get back in the game. After back-to-back interceptions to open up the second half for the Huskies' offense, the Bruins would only be able to score three points. Both interceptions came in Husky territory as well.

A field goal and a fumble in two key drives following interceptions would have swung the momentum entirely. The Bruins failed to execute and could not find a way to score many meaningful touchdowns in the game.

“Yeah, disappointing," Garbers said. "Like I said, we’ve got to be better and that starts with me getting these guys going, getting them in and out of the huddle. Just focusing on how every play is the most important. It just comes down to me making those throws and moving those chains.”

The Bruins will regroup and look to next week's Crosstown Showdown at the Rose Bowl against USC (5-5). Garbers is one of the few captains on this team and knows that his guys will correct their mistakes and come back ready to play next week.

They will need to win their final two games to become bowl eligible.

“I’m sure Carson [Schwesinger] will agree with this. We’re going to watch the film. We’re going to learn from it, flush it, and we got a big week next week," Garbers said. "So we’re excited about that and we’re excited for the last two opportunities to go play.”

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