What Crosstown Showdown Means to UCLA QB Ethan Garbers, a SoCal Native

The UCLA Bruins continue to gear up for the biggest game of their season in a must-win battle against arch-rival USC. Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers spoke about his excitement for the upcoming rivalry game as a kid from Southern California.

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) looks to pass in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (4-6) have a date with their bitter rival this Saturday night at the Rose Bowl as the USC Trojans (4-6) come across town for the biggest game of each team's season. For Southern California native and junior starting quarterback Ethan Garbers, it means just a little bit more.

Growing up in Newport Beach, California, Garbers is very familiar with what this rivalry holds and has been surrounded by it for his entire life. He spoke before practice on Tuesday and gave his thoughts on what this week means to him as a whole.

"It means a lot," Garbers said. "Being a kid from Southern California, growing up watching this game, watching the history of it, it means a lot. I have a lot of friends back home who, their parents went to the other school and bunch of 'raw raw' and stuff about that, but I'm just excited to play."

Garbers is in his fourth season with the Bruins after redshirting his first year in 2021. Since he arrived on campus, the Bruins are 2-1 against the Trojans in this rivalry. As a sophomore last season, he was able to lead his team to a 38-20 upset win, throwing for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

"Yeah, just the confidence and the experience from already playing in one of these games and knowing what it takes to get a 'W', definitely that helps," Garbers said. "It was great, honestly; that was my first time playing in the Coliseum, which was awesome. I grew up going to games there, a lot of history there. I'm excited to get the first one in the Rose Bowl, but I mean, just from last year, it was a surreal experience, can't really describe it."

The Bruins had a rough start to the 2024 season one of the toughest conference schedules across the entire Big Ten. Garbers mentioned the team's mentality and a goal they set for themselves midway through the season after a 1-5 start.

They are two wins away from achieving that goal and it starts on Saturday night at home against their rival.

"At kind of the halfway point of the year, we really wanted to make it a goal to be bowl eligible," Garbers said. "This is just one more bump in the road. We got to get over this, we got to get this 'W,' and then we got to focus on Fresno State next week. But our goal is still to get bowl-eligible, and that's that's our number one priority."

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