UCLA Plays Their Most Competent Game of the Season, Lose to Penn State 27-11
The Bruins may have found a capable quarterback for the future as well.
I think most UCLA Bruins fans went into this game against Penn State expecting bad things to happen. After all, the Bruins were 29.5 point underdogs heading into this game, and Penn State had announced that this was going to be their White Out game, so emotions were going to ride high. Throw in the fact that Justyn Martin was making his first career start in place of the injured Ethan Garbers, and you had a recipe for disaster.
So it was into this environment that the Bruins…played generally competent football. It was not the best football in the world, but compared to the poor play we’ve seen from previous games, this was at least a step in the right direction, as UCLA got a late score to lose 27-11.
I think the biggest takeaway for this game will be the play of Justyn Martin. After years of practice reports where most observers felt that he was not ready to see the field, Martin got his first big shot in a major road game, and he rose to the challenge. A final stat line of 167 yards passing on 22/30 attempts and a single touchdown isn’t going to wow neutral observers, but Martin really acquitted himself well, looking composed and making a series of big throws despite an offensive line that was going through its usual struggles. I don’t know that Martin should be the starter going forward given that I still believe Garbers gives the team the best chance to win, but at the very least Martin showed that he is more than capable and should be in the driver’s seat to start next season.
The defense also played fairly well given the circumstances. I do think it helps that Drew Allar is not a good quarterback, but the Penn State offensive line is very good, and the Bruins were able to generate some pressure for the first time since the Hawai’i game, including their first sack since that game. The ultimate difference in the game is that Penn State has a few top-end running backs and a potential Mackey Award winner at tight end, and eventually that kind of talent differential will win out.
There are still problems with this team - in particular, the offensive playcalling was pretty poor outside of the first scripted drive, required excellent execution from multiple players to overcome a flawed scheme - but for the first time this year, the Bruins looked like a team that can win some games against non-elite teams.
Time will tell if that remains the case.
Go Bruins!
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I'm with you on this one, DD. In a year like this, if we focus only on W's and L's, we're doomed to be disappointed. What players and coaches do, as opposed to many fans, is focus on getting better. Granted, this program has a myriad of areas that need to get better, but there should be a degree of encouragement after today.
While I expect Garbers will be back when he is healthy, Martin to me has an enormously higher ceiling and should be starting going forward. His arm is way better. His vision of the field is better. His decisions seemed better. He needs to work on his footwork as he threw off his back foot too much but given the consistent pressure our QBs face, you understand his lack of confidence in the pocket.
And a lot of the QB/offense play was dependent on the OC. When the play called for a short drop and quick read and throw, it was effective. Conversely, when the play called for a 5 step drop and long developing pass routes, the O Line just can't hold up long enough, and neither Martin nor Garbers will stand a chance in those situations (screens work great in these circumstances, Bieniemy, by the way...). I don't know if EB intentionally simplified things for Martin today but that approach made UCLA's undermanned/undertalented offense able to make some plays today. It wasn't enough on the road v #7 in the country, but it might make things competitive v Rutgers or Minn or Fresno, and that's progress for this year while this roster is hopefully getting restocked with talent and depth.
Being pleased and being satisfied are two very different things, and it's possible to be pleased (in some areas) with what we saw today while still being wholly dissatisfied with the overall state of things. That's how I'm taking things this year - while not forgetting those who put us in this hole in the first place.
I thought Martin did fine against that defense in that environment. With our OL, any QB is best on the move; the pocket is ok for short throws, but anything more is dicey. There were times when the D looked pretty solid, but third downs, even long, remain a challenge. A better take-away from this game than Oregon.