UCLA Football: Chip Kelly Reveals Why He Started Collin Schlee Over Ethan Garbers in the LA Bowl

Kelly's answer was simple and to the point.

The UCLA Bruins won their first bowl game since the 2015 Alamo Bowl on Saturday, taking down the Boise State Broncos. The LA Bowl was played at Sofi Stadium, giving the Bruins somewhat of a home-field advantage in the game. 

It was an impressive game for the Bruins all around, and it included them dominating the third quarter. They entered halftime trailing, but they outscored Boise State 21-0 in the third to fully take control of the contest.

Before the game kicked off, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly made an interesting decision to start quarterback Collin Schlee over Ethan Garbers. This was met with some confusion, but Kelly has made some strange decisions at the quarterback position in the past. 

After the game, he was asked why he went with Schlee over Garbers to start. His response was simple and very to the point, per usual with Kelly. He revealed that Garbers was still somewhat injured, resulting in his not starting.

Coach Chip Kelly: “Ethan (Garbers) knows he’s the starting quarterback here (at UCLA) pic.twitter.com/h1gBKUr0Mp

— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) December 17, 2023

With Garbers in the game, the Bruins looked much better. He gave their offense another level to get to, and they needed it against Boise State. Garbers threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns to help the team get the win.

This was the type of game that the Bruins team needed before they head off into the offseason. The 2023 year was filled with many ups and downs, but at least it was able to end on a high note.

The team showed a lot of fight to come back in this game, and it was led by the leadership of Garbers. He confirmed that he will be back next season, which is music to the ears of the coaching staff.

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