UCLA Football: Ethan Garbers Receives Horrible Grade After Bruins Blowout Loss to Indiana

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 18, 2024

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Two weeks into their first Big Ten season and the UCLA Bruins are already considered the worst team in the conference.

Currently, UCLA boasts a 1-1 record, with their most recent game being a devastating 42-13 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers.

This has led to multiple organizations ranking UCLA 18th in the Big Ten, and a lot of fingers are being pointed at quarterback Ethan Garbers.

Specifically, The Big Ten Huddle podcast gave Garbers an F grade for his performance. When you look at the numbers, it's not surprising.

Big Ten Week 3 Quarterback Grades pic.twitter.com/96yiNmVyot

— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) September 16, 2024

Against Indiana, Garbers completed 14 of 23 passing attempts with one interception and 137 yards. Meanwhile, Indiana's Kurtis Rourke went 25-33 with four touchdowns and 307 yards.

People were saying that UCLA was going to have a tough time adapting after switching from the Pac-12 conference to the Big Ten. However, the Bruins aren't even looking that impressive when they play against teams outside of the Big Ten.

UCLA narrowly beat Hawaii 16-13 in a game where they should have dominated. While Garbers performed better, it was still nothing to write home about, going 19-38 for 272 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Garbers also led the Bruins in rushing, recording 47 yards on seven carries.

This is a far cry from where Garbers was last season when he was competing against Collin Schlee and Dante Moore.

Garbers earned his starting spot in 2024 after an excellent performance in the 2023 LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos.

In the second half, Garbers went 9-12 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Compare this to Schlee, who went 11-16 for 78 yards and one touchdown.

Garbers also had a standout game against rival and fellow Big Ten transfer USC. The Bruins beat the Trojans 38-20, with Garbers going 18-31 for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

While we haven't seen Garbers reach this potential this season, head coach DeShaun Foster believes that he's "the one."

“Ethan’s the one,” Foster said. “He's QB1. You guys are watching him, he’s spinning it pretty well right now. His leadership has really grown and he’s just taking on the role of being QB1.”

That being said, Foster said this before the season began. Things are more concerning now, especially since its his first season as coach. time will tell if we see him stick with Garbers to let him grow or make changes to see if something sticks.

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