Penn State preparing as if injured UCLA starting QB will play this week

UCLA, 1-3 on the season, is already up against it traveling to Beaver Stadium this weekend to face No. 7 Penn State, but things might be getting worse.

The Bruins will be the first West Coast Big Ten team to play at noon on the East Coast, they have been beaten down by ranked opponents this season and they also might be without their starting quarterback or, at least, won’t have him at full capacity.

Redshirt senior Ethan Garbers missed the end of a 34-13 loss to Oregon with an unspecified injury. Garbers then missed practice Monday, “resting” to give backup Justyn Martin more reps with the first team. UCLA local media spotted Garbers riding a stationary bike at Tuesday’s practice. Wednesday, Bruins coach Deshaun Foster said Garbers could take only mental reps, while Martin continued to work with the first team.

“No, most definitely not. Not yet,” Foster said of whether he had decided if Garbers will play against Penn State. However, Foster said earlier this week that Garbers would try to play unless UCLA decides to hold him out.

Foster spoke highly of Penn State and joked that “everything” stands out about the Nittany Lions defense. He specifically highlighted defensive end Abdul Carter, defensive tackle Zane Durant and safety Jaylen Reed.

Foster used his scout of the Penn State defense in part of his message to prepare Martin if Garbers can’t go.

“You can’t hold onto the ball. That’s really it. They have a really good D-line. We can’t hold onto the football,” Foster said. “And just make sure that he’s ready for the crowd noise and the environment, because this will be his first time playing in that type of environment.”

In Happy Valley, coach James Franklin said his team will prepare as if Garbers is starting. Freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer wore Garbers’ No. 4 for the scout team, and walk-on Jack Lambert wore Martin’s No. 6.

Garbers has completed just over 57% of his passes this season, averaging 202 yards per game. He has just three touchdowns to six interceptions and has been sacked 12 times. He is not much of a threat to run in UCLA’s pro-style offense.

“We’re controlling the things that we can control. From what I have seen and heard, they’re planning on playing him, if he’s available to play,” Franklin said Wednesday after practice. “All we can do is prepare off of what we’ve seen on tape.”

Martin is a redshirt sophomore and former four-star prospect who has thrown just seven passes in his college career, appearing in seven games over the past two seasons. He’s more of a runner by design, with 17 attempts this year for 33 yards. In relief of Garbers against Oregon, Martin went 1 for 4 with 7 passing yards.

“We haven’t seen the other kid. We went back and watched his high school tape, but there’s not a whole lot we can do but just prepare for what we see on film,” Franklin said. “This guy, supposedly, is more of an athlete, so we get that, but we can’t chase ghosts. We gotta prepare for what we have seen.”

Penn State’s defenders anticipate a passing-heavy attack from UCLA, which has thrown 30 more times than it has run. Game script hasn’t been in the running game’s favor, with UCLA trailing by double-digits in each of its three losses, but the Bruins have averaged only 2.5 yards per rushing attempt this season.

“We’re just treating it like he’s going to play. We can’t really know who’s going to play and whatnot, but we’re just practicing like we normally do each week, whether we know who the quarterback is or not. We’re just treating it as No. 4 (Garbers) is playing right now, stopping the run game first like always,” linebacker Tony Rojas said. “And then once they’ve respected the run (defense), they’re gonna have to start passing, and we know we have the best pass rushers. So whoever is the quarterback, that’s just what it is, and we’re going to continue to practice how we are.”