LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the second straight season, Ethan Garbers is UCLA’s starting quarterback for its opener.
The difference this year is that Garbers not only doesn’t have to look over his shoulder in fear of getting benched, he is the unquestioned and confident leader when the Bruins take the field on Saturday at Hawaii.
“Confidence is almost 90% of the quarterback position. If you believe you can do something, you can really do it. And I mean it,” Garbers said. “I think it helps when the other 10 guys are looking at you in the huddle and you’re confident.”
The fifth-year senior played in 11 games and made six starts last season. In last year’s opener against Coastal Carolina, he led the Bruins to a touchdown on the opening drive before being picked off on two of the team’s next four possessions.
That set the stage for Dante Moore’s debut. Moore, the only five-star recruit during Chip Kelly’s six seasons in Westwood, threw two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina and ended up starting five games. He struggled though, including three straight games with a pick six, before transferring to Oregon at the end of last season.
Despite being in and out of the lineup, Garbers ended up having a solid season. He threw for three touchdowns in a win over crosstown rival Southern California and was the offensive MVP of the LA Bowl after passing for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to beat Boise State.
The Bruins won all four games in which Garbers had multiple TD passes, and his 67.1% completion rate would have been 17th nationally, if he had enough games to qualify.
DeShaun Foster, who makes his debut as UCLA’s coach on Saturday, said Garbers’ persistence in the face of adversity has earned him the respect of everyone involved in the program.
“I mean, you could just tell the way that they follow Ethan, the way that they talk about him. Everybody has seen what he’s been through and gone through here at UCLA, and just to continue to be resilient and come out on top is just good stuff,” Foster said.
Garbers’ fortitude is also something the Bruins have been leaning on since the end of last year’s bowl game. Kelly left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, leading to Foster being named head coach.
Foster — a former UCLA running back and assistant for 10 seasons — quickly came back to take over the program after leaving to become an assistant with the Las Vegas Raiders.
One of Foster’s first moves was to bring in Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. Garbers has not only had a seemless transition to Bieniemy’s pro-style scheme, but he has been a fan of Bieniemy’s aggressive coaching style.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Personally, I need a coach like that who is going to get on you if you’re not doing right and going to be your biggest fan when you are,” he said.
Garbers and Foster will guide the Bruins in their first season in the Big Ten, where they were picked 15th out of 18 teams in a preseason media poll.
Foster, though, may have more success in his first season than Kelly did in 2018. UCLA went 3-9 that year because of a lack of depth, especially at quarterback. Wilton Speight came in as a graduate transfer, but got injured in the opener. Dorian Thompson-Robinson took over as a freshman after playing QB only one year in high school, and not arriving on campus until the start of preseason practices.
Redshirt sophomore Justyn Martin will be Garbers’ backup. The Bruins certainly don’t lack quarterbacks with eight on the roster.
“Just having a veteran quarterback, someone that’s been here that has played in big games, and a backup that has been here for awhile is huge,” Foster said. “Just being able to have a familiar face and know somebody that you can trust to keep the offense on track.”
The Bruins will face a Hawaii squad that already has a game under its belt, a 35-14 victory over Delaware State last Saturday.
“I feel like we’ve done a great job, honestly, of getting a good grasp on the offense. It will be exciting to go out and face another team,” Garbers said.
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By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer