By james art LOS ANGELES — When UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers needs a little motivation, he’ll sometimes look to social media for commentary.
“You have to take it with a grain of salt,” Garbers told reporters, “because a lot of these people have no idea what you’ve been through or what it’s like to be there.”
Few people in general could relate to the season UCLA football experienced under a new coaching staff in a new conference and with just two wins despite incremental improvements.
UCLA (2-5, 1-4 Big Ten) has continually relied on the redshirt senior to lead the Bruins and uphold the team’s pillars of discipline, respect and enthusiasm — something he has taken to heart in his final year.
“After the last game I was like, ‘Dan, only five more to go.’ That’s kind of sad,” Garbers said. “The goal is to win every single game and make a cup game. That was the goal from the beginning, to win every game.”
The offense finally seemed to get going in the Bruins’ 35-32 win over Rutgers, as Garbers completed 32 of 38 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns for their first Big Ten victory. He even took off for a 49-yard touchdown despite dealing with a lingering ankle injury.
The coaching staff entrusted the quarterback with sneaking on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter after avoiding fourth-down attempts in previous games.
“All the coaches were preaching, ‘Hey, if it’s third and long or fourth and we get fourth and one, we might as well do it, it doesn’t matter where we’re at,'” Garbers said. “And it just fires us all up and it’s great to stay on the field. Anytime we have short yardage, we definitely look to take advantage of it.”
Garbers was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts and received an 89.6 grade from Pro Football Focus – the second-highest grade of the week for anyone at the quarterback position.
Getting the ball out quicker has been a focus of the offense lately, which has helped put more pressure on opposing defenses and more yardage.
“The speed just comes with the comfort of the offense and then you just trust and then you repeat with all the other guys,” Garbers said. “I feel very comfortable in attack. Now it’s just me trusting what I see and going out there and just making the plays.”
Garbers confirmed during Thursday’s media availability that he has been dealing with an ankle injury this season. Imprints from the layers of duct tape that wrapped his ankle and leg were visible as he spoke to reporters.
He’s had to devote more time to pre-practice treatment and post-practice recovery, as well as mobility exercises, but said the soreness he’s dealt with this season has been “really nothing, to be honest.”
While his daily schedule may have changed, the team’s energy is inexhaustible. Team warm-ups before practices remain loud and fun, with jittery players feeding off the constant jumping and body checks.
“I think everybody just feels more comfortable, feels better about the things we’re doing,” Garbers said. “Everyone comes in here with a great attitude every day.”
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