His jersey smudged with grass and even a hint of purple from the LSU defenders who kept smashing into him, Ethan Garbers never wavered under pressure.
The UCLA quarterback’s finest moment came late in the first half when he eluded the initial pass rush by stepping up and firing a touchdown pass to Logan Loya precisely at the moment that he absorbed a massive hit.
Garbers’ spectacular play was the primary reason the Bruins forged a halftime tie, but his being forced to play hero ball on an offense with no running game also has its drawbacks. Firing so many passes under pressure is going to lead to inevitable mistakes.
The efficiency numbers are the worst of his career. Garbers has completed 56.7% of his passes while logging more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three). He’s also lost two fumbles and had another against the Tigers that went for a 19-yard loss in the third quarter after right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio pounced on the ball.
Garbers has said his No. 1 goal this season is to play in every game, but that might not happen if he doesn’t get better protection. He’s been sacked eight times in three games and hurried an additional 10 times.
“It’s just the want-to, you’ve got to want to get in there and keep that guy away from our quarterback,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said of the blocking, “so after I watch this tape and really dissect what was going on out there, we should be able to fix this.”
