How do Bruins Keep Momentum Out of Bye Week?

The UCLA Bruins are coming off a much-needed bye and a massive win on the road in Week 7. They will need to continue their momentum after a week of rest and preparation for a much tougher opponent.

Sep 14, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster reacts after the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (2-5) are finishing up their necessary bye week after the first seven weeks of the season. They ended the first half on a positive note, earning their second win of the season and snapped a five-game losing streak in a 35-32 road win over Rutgers in New Jersey.

The star of the show was senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, who threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. A perfect performance from the veteran helped skate by a decent Scarlett Knights team.

Over two-thirds of Garbers' passing yards went to a pair of senior wide receivers, who both went for over 100 yards receiving. Redshirt senior Keegan Jones caught five passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Oregon transfer Moliki Matavao had six catches for 104 yards.

It was both senior's best game of the season by far, and it was Jones' first touchdown reception of the year. If those two guys can continue their success and have another solid week, the Bruins have a chance at back-to-back wins.

This weekend, the Bruins will travel to the midwest to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3), who have lost their last two games to a pair of top-25 opponents. Both teams are in need of a win this week, but the Cornhuskers are looking to get right against a less-talented opponent.

Garbers and two pass catchers will face a Cornhusker defense that is middle of the pack in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing 203.9 yards per game through the air. For reference, Rutgers allowed just 23 more passing yards per game and the Bruins gashed them in the pass game.

The Bruins would have loved to take the momentum they gained from a major victory into the very next week but have been met with a bit of a lull due to the bye week. It can be analyzed as an extra week to take the positives that they gained from their win and implement them into this coming week.

Defensively, there is not much momentum to carry over as the Bruins gave up 32 points and 422 total yards of offense last week, 287 of which came in the pass game. If the Bruins want to stay competitive on the road this week, they must slow down Cornhusker quarterback Dylan Raiola.

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