It didn’t matter that this was just a practice in the early stages of preseason training camp, or that it was UCLA ’s third-string offense going against the third-string defense.
Before the final snap Saturday morning, with the score tied in a competition between the opposing sides, the defensive players watching from the sideline hopped and hooted in anticipation.
Buoyed by his teammates, freshman linebacker Ty Lee surged into the backfield and blew up the play, causing the rest of the defense to converge around him in celebration.
Final score: Defense 52, Offense 51.
A few minutes later, tight end Moliki Matavao revealed the team’s ultimate motivation.
“Our thing is, we’re going to the Big Ten championship,” Matavao said. “That’s our goal.”
That would be quite the story for a program that has not won a conference championship since coach DeShaun Foster ’s freshman season in 1998. Can the Bruins get there? Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s practice that was open to fans and the media:
Ethan Garbers looks like a top-tier quarterback
If there was one player who looked locked in on every play, it was Garbers.
The redshirt senior made more good throws than the rest of the quarterback group combined, connecting with Matavao, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, Michael Churich and Rico Flores Jr. for touchdowns worthy of any highlight reel.
“Ethan’s the one,” Foster said. “He’s the best QB. You guys are watching him, he’s spinning it pretty well right now. His leadership has really grown and he’s just taking on the role of being QB1.”
Matavao said Garbers embodied the team’s mantra of “Do more” by leading summer workouts, ensuring that everyone knew the plays and perfected the timing on their routes.
“Ethan makes sure that we know we always got to do more — meet up in the meeting rooms and all that,” Matavao said, “so I think that’s kind of a testament to who we are as an offense right now.”
The offensive line withstood a small but scary injury
Visions of a 2-10 season might have flitted through some fans’ heads when right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio sustained a left ankle injury and had to be helped to a medical shed.
DiGiorgio later emerged with the ankle taped and ran a few sprints to ensure he was OK. Redshirt sophomore Niki Prongos replaced DiGiorgio for the rest of the practice.
“I know if that was a game,” Foster said, “Garrett probably would have come back, but it was good to get these young guys some reps.”
Redshirt sophomore center Sam Yoon also played a significant number of snaps with presumed starter Josh Carlin sidelined during team periods for unspecified reasons.
Earlier in the practice, it appeared that the first-string offensive line consisted of DiGiorgio at right tackle, Alani Makihele at right guard, Carlin at center, Spencer Holstege at left guard and Reuben Unije at left tackle.
The pass rush remains a major work in progress
Life after Laiatu Latu is not going to be easy for UCLA’s defense. There’s juggling at edge rusher as the Bruins attempt to find the best way to pressure the quarterback.
As of now, the first-string edge rushers appear to be Jacob Busic and Devin Aupiu, with Drew Tuazama and Grant Buckey backing them up. Tuazama, a transfer from South Carolina, made one of the best plays of the practice when he burst into the backfield to make backup quarterback Justyn Martin force a throw that fell incomplete.
While coaches have long talked of using linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo in a hybrid role that also allowed him to rush the quarterback, it was linebacker Kain Medrano who performed in that capacity Saturday. Interestingly, projected edge rusher Collins Acheampong mostly played interior defensive line.
Foster said Cherif Seye, a highly touted edge rusher from Florida A&M, continues to round into form before being cleared to fully practice.
TJ Harden is back
After looking slow and unsteady during spring practices, UCLA’s presumed top running back has displayed more of his usual burst during the first two weeks of fall camp.
Part of his progression, Foster said, can be attributed to dropping some weight, and another part to learning new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s playbook.
“He looks more explosive because he knows the plays a little bit more, you know what I mean?” Foster said. “When you’re thinking and going, it’s kind of different and kind of hard. So, I think he’s a little bit more comfortable with the offense.”
Keegan Jones, who appeared to be pushing Harden for the starting role in the spring, also made several nice plays. Anthony Frias II, a transfer from Kansas State, did not make much of an impression in his limited carries. The Bruins are still waiting for Jalen Berger, a transfer from Michigan State, to work his way into shape before making his debut in team periods.
The interior defensive line looks Big Ten-ready
Where’s the beef?
Check defensive tackles Jay Toia and Keanu Williams. While Toia is FDA-certified to eat whatever he wants at 6 feet 3 and 325 pounds, Williams isn’t missing many meals either at 6-foot-5 and 310.
These guys make anyone think twice about running up the middle, possessing the size and skill to stop even the Big Ten’s burliest tailbacks.
Second-stringers Siale Taupaki and Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi also regularly clogged things up during practice, giving the Bruins reason to believe their opponents won’t be able to make much of a run for it this season.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .
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