What you need to know
Ethan Garbers leads UCLA to vindication, drought-ending road win over Rutgers
Ethan Garbers and Keegan Jones connect for 67-yard touchdown
UCLA runs out the clock on its first Big Ten win
UCLA 35, Rutgers 32, end of fourth quarter
UCLA called timeout as Rutgers lined up for an apparent onside kick.
Rutgers’ Jai Patel hit the onside kick. UCLA’s Grant Gray fielded it cleanly and ran it back for a touchdown.
The play was reviewed because if any player on the field signals fair catch, the play is dead. Logan Loya signaled fair catch, so Gray’s touchdown was erased but UCLA retained possession at the Rutgers 45.
UCLA took a knee three times to run out the clock on the Bruins’ first Big Ten win.
Rutgers cuts UCLA’s lead to three with less than two minutes left
UCLA 35, Rutgers 32, 1:45 left in the fourth quarter
Rutgers started on its 42 after the interception.
Athan Kaliakmanis’ deep pass was incomplete. Kyle Monangai ran for six yards. Kaliakmanis passed to Christian Dremel for seven yards and then another 11 yards.
On first down at the UCLA 34 with 2:50 left, Kaliakmanis ran for two yards. Kaliakmanis passed to Ben Black, who was dropped in bounds and short of the first down after gaining seven yards.
On third-and-one, the two-minute timeout was triggered.
Kaliakmanis’ pass was incomplete, but UCLA was called for a personal foul.
On first-down at the UCLA 12, Kaliakmanis’ pass was incomplete, but the Bruins were called for pass interference and the ball was moved to the two-yard line. Kaliakmanis went back to the same receiver and UCLA was called for pass interference and the ball was moved to the one-yard line. Officials determined Kyle Monangai ran for no gain, but the clock stopped at 1:23 as officials reviewed to see whether it was a touchdown.
After the review, Monangia was awarded the touchdown and the clock was adjusted to 1:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers hit the extra point.
Ethan Garbers fumbles and Rutgers recovers
UCLA 35, Rutgers 25, 3:34 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA started on its 44 after the interception.
Jalen Berger ran for six yards. Berger then ran for no gain. Rutgers called a timeout while UCLA was milking the clock. Ethan Garbers passed to Titus Mokiao-Antimalala for eight yards and first down.
Berger ran for a yard and Rutgers called timeout. Berger ran for four yards and Rutgers called another timeout with 3:40 left. On third-and-five, Garbers was hit as he was looking to throw and fumbled. Rutgers recovered at its 42.
Bryan Addison delivers huge interception for UCLA
UCLA 35, Rutgers 25, 5:25 left in the fourth quarter
Rutgers started on its 36 after the missed UCLA field goal.
Athan Kaliakmanis passed to KJ Duff for nine yards.
Kaliakmanis’ next pass intended for Dymere Miller was intercepted by UCLA’s Bryan Addison and returned to the Bruins’ 44.
UCLA misses field goal after penalty pushed it back
UCLA 35, Rutgers 25, 6:27 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Ethan Garbers passed to T.J. Harden for no gain.
Garbers tossed a 25-yard pass to Moliki Matavao.
Harden ran for two yards. Garbers passed to Kwazi Gilmer for 13 yards.
Harden rushed for one yard. Keegan Jones ran for two yards. Rutgers called timeout with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter. Garbers tossed an incomplete pass after no players were open down field.
UCLA was called for delay of game. Mateen Bhaghani had the distance, but his 54-yard field goal attempt was wide left.
Rutgers adds 59-yard touchdown
UCLA 35, Rutgers 25, 10:35 left in the fourth quarter
Rutgers started on its 25.
Kaliakmanis passed to Ben Black for nine yards. Kaliakmanis’ deep passed was incomplete. Kaliakmanis kept the ball for a two-yard run and a first down.
Kaliakmanis’ next pass was incomplete and broken up. Kaliakmanis then pased to KJ Duff for a 59-yard touchdown.
Rutgers’ second two-point conversion attempt failed, with Bryan Addison and Bryan Davis combining on the stop.
UCLA’s Jalen Berger scores a touchdown in his home state
UCLA 35, Rutgers 19, 12:13 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA started on its 30 after the punt.
Ethan Garbers for six yards to Bryce Pierre. Garbers passed to Kwazi Gilmer for three yards. On third-and-inches, Garbers kept his legs moving duirng the keeper and managed to get six yards on the play.
Jalen Berger ran for seven yards and time expired in the third quarter.
On-second-and-three at the Rutgers 48, Berger stayed on his feet while dodging tackles and gained five yards. A Rutgers player was injured, stopping play.
Garbers’ pass intended for J.Michel Sturdivant was incomplete, but Rutgers was called for pass interference and gave up 15 yards.
On first down at the Rutgers 28, Garbers passed to Gilmer for no gain. Garbers then passed to Moliki Matavao for 20 yards.
On first-and-goal at the eight, Berger ran for a loss of one yard. Garbers rolled out of a collapsing pocket and tossed an incomplete pass. On third-and-goal at the Rutgers 9, Berger caught a screen pass and ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown. Berger is from New Jersey and the team was especially happy to see him score.
UCLA hit the extra point and extended its lead.
UCLA forces Rutgers to go three-and-out
UCLA 28, Rutgers 19, 2:33 left in the third quarter
Rutgers started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Kyle Monangai ran for two yards. Athan Kaliakmanis ran for no gain. Kaliakmanis ran for three yards.
On fourth-and-five on the Rutger 30, the Scarlet Knights punted and Logan Loya took a fair catch at the UCLA 30.
Ethan Garbers and Keegan Jones connect for 67-yard touchdown
UCLA 28, Rutgers 19, 4:53 left in the third quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Ethan Garbers completed an eight-yard pass to Logan Loya. Garbers tossed a short pass to open Keegan Jones along the right sideline and Jones ran up the field for a 67-yard touchdown. UCLA got a delay of game penalty and moved back five yards, but Mateen Bhaghani still hit the extra point.
Rutgers hits field goal, cuts UCLA’s lead
UCLA 21, Rutgers 19, 5:41 left in the third quarter
Rutgers starts on its 42.
Kyle Monangai fran for five yards. Athan Kaliakmanis passed to Dymere Miller for seven yards.
Kaliakmanis tossed two incomplete passes. On third-and-10, Monangai ran for one yard. On fourth-and-nine at the UCLA 36, Kaliakmanis passed to Chris Long for 18 yards and a first down. The play was reviewed for targeting, but the officials determined there was no penalty.
On first down at the UCLA 17, Kaliakmanisran for four yards. Monangai then ran for no gain. On third-and-six at the UCLA 13, Monangai ran for one yard and play was stopped due to an injury.
On fourth-and-five at the UCLA 12, Rutgers was called for false start while lining up for the field goal. On fourth-and-nine at the UCLA 17, Jai Patel hit the 35-yard field goal.
UCLA goes three-and-out on first drive of third quarter
UCLA 21, Rutgers 16, 11:17 left in the third quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Harden ran for three yards. Ethan Garbers ran for two yards and Garbers was sacked for a loss of eight yards at the UCLA 22.
UCLA punted and Rutgers bobbled it before downing it at the Scarlet Knights’ 42.
Rutgers scores quickly, UCLA stuffs two-point conversion attempt
UCLA 21, Rutgers 16, 12:45 left in the third quarter
Rutgers started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Athan Kaliakmanis passed to Dymere Miller for 24 yards.
Kaliakmanis passed to Christian Dremel for eight yards.
Kyle Monangai, who returned from an injury in the first half, ran for 30 yards.
On first down at the UCLA 13, Kaliakmanis passed to Miller for seven yards. Monangai then ran for a six-yard touchdown. Rutgers’ two-point conversion attempt failed, with Kain Medrano tackling Kaliakmanis as he tried to scamble to the end zone after the pocket collapsed.
Rutgers runs out the clock and we got to halftime
UCLA 21, Rutgers 10, end of the second quarter
Rutgers started on its 25 after the kickoff.
Antwan Raymond rushed for six yards and Rutgers ran out the final 22 seconds on the clock to trigger halftime. The Scarlet Knights get the ball first in the third quarter.
It was, by far, UCLA’s strong half this season and Garbers’ best performance.
Ethan Garbers leads UCLA on quick touchdown drive
UCLA 21, Rutgers 10, 22 seconds left in the second quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the kickoff with 1:08 left in the second quarter.
Ethan Garbers tried to run and was dropped for a one-yard loss. Garbers then passed to Molili Matavao for 20 yards.
Garbers passed to Keegan Jones for 18 yards.
Garbers passed to Keegan Jones for two yards. Garbers then passed to Logan Loya for 14 yards with 27 seconds left.
Garbers tossed his next pass forward but into the turf to stop the clock.
On second-and-10 at the Rutgers 22, Garbers passed to Harden for a 22-yard touchdown with 22 seconds. UCLA hit the extra point.
Rutgers trims UCLA lead with a field goal
UCLA 14, Rutgers 10, 1:08 left in the second quarter
Rutgers started on its 25 after the UCLA kickoff.
Athan Kaliakmanis passed to Ian Strong for 25 yards.
Kaliakmanis then passed to KJ Duff for 14 yards and the two-minute timeout was triggered.
Kyle Monangai ran for one yard. Kaliakmanis passed to Strong for 12 yards. Kaliakmanis’ next two passes were incomplete. On third-and-10 at the UCLA 30 with 1:16 left, play stopped while Monangai was treated on the field for an injury. Kaliakmanis tossed an incomplete pass and Jai Patel hit a 49-yard field goal to close the drive.
Ethan Garbers scrambles for a 49-yard touchdown
UCLA 14, Rutgers 7, 2:53 left in the second quarter
UCLA started on its 9 after the punt.
Jalen Berger ran for one yard. Ethan Garbers ran for a loss of three yards, fumbled at the UCLA 7 and recovered. On third-and-12, Garbers passed to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for 11 yards. On fourth-and-one at the UCLA 18, Garbers ran up the middle for two yards and the first down.
T.J. Harden ran for a yard, Garbers passed to Titus Atimalala for eight yards. UCLA was called for false start. On third-and-six at the UCLA 24, Garbers passed to Keegan Jones for 19-yard gain.
Garbers passed to Harden for 10 yards to the Rutgers 47.
Harden ran for a loss of two yards. On second-and-12, Garbers scrambled up field, dodged and tackle and ran up the left sideline for a 49-yard touchdown. UCLa hit the extra point.
UCLA defense gets its first stop, forces a Rutgers punt
UCLA 7, Rutgers 7, 9:17 left in the second quarter
Rutgers started on its 5 after the UCLA punt.
Athan Kaliakmanis ran for five yards. Kyle Monangai ran six yards.
Kaliakmanis’ deep pass was incomplete. Kaliakmanis then ran for 13 yards.
Kaliakmanis passed to Dymere Miller for 15 yards, moving the ball to the Rutgers 45.
Monangai ran for one yard, Kaliakmanis’ deep pass was incomplete and Monangai ran for seven yards. On fourth-and-two, Rutgers tried to draw UCLA offsides and took a delay of game penalty. The Scarlet Knights then punted and Logan Loya took a fair catch at the UCLA 9.
UCLA punts on its second drive
UCLA 7, Rutgers 7, 14:00 left in the second quarter
UCLA started on its five yard line after the kickoff.
Ethan Garbers passed to Moliki Matavao for eight yard and to Kwazi Gilmer for five yards.
Garbers passed to Keegan Jones for eight yards and Bryce Pierre for another eight yards.
UCLA was called for false start, moving back to its 29.
Jones ran for nine yards. Garbers tossed an incomplete pass before finding Matavao for 14 yards. Garbers passed to T.J. Harden as the first quarter ended.
On second-and-four, Garbers passed to Harden for a loss of four yards. Garbers then tossed an incomplete pass and UCLA punted to the Rutgers five-yard line.
Rutgers matches UCLA with long scoring drive
UCLA 7, Rutgers 7, 4:43 left in the first quarter
Rutgers took a fair catch and started on its 25.
UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo and Devin Aupiu sacked Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis for a loss of seven yards. Kaliakmanis passed to Kyle Monangai for four yards. Facing third-and-13, Kaliakmanis passed to Ian Strong a 42-yard gain.
Monangai ran for three yards. Kaliakmanis stuck in the collpasing pocket and passed to Dymere Miller for 17 yards. UCLA was called for holding, but Rutgers declined the penalty. Monangai ran for 13 yards, moving the ball to the UCLA 3. Monangai then quickly ran for two yards. On second-and-goal, officials called UCLA for being offide, moving it to the one-yard line. On second-and-goal at the 1, Kaliakmanis ran for a one-yard touchdown and Rutgers hit the extra point.
Ethan Garbers leads long touchdown drive
UCLA 7, Rutgers 0, 9:03 left in the first quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the opening kickoff resulted in a touchback.
Ethan Garbers passed to Bryce Pierre for six yards. T.J. Harden then rushed for five yards and a first down.
Garbers passed to Moliki Matavao for 17 yards.
Harden rushed for four yards. Garbers’ deep pass intended for J.Michael Sturdivant was incomplete. Garbers then passed to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for eight yards and a first down at the Rutgers 35.
Garbers passed to Mokiao-Atimalala for 19 yards.
Garbers missed a chance to pass to an open receiver for a touchdown and instead ran for six yards. Jalen Berger then ran for three yards. On third-and-one, Berger ran for two yards to the Rutgers five-yard line.
Garbers passed to Logan Loya for a five-yard touchdown to close the drive. Matheen Bhaghani hit the extra point.
And we’re off ...
UCLA 0, Rutgers 0, start of first quarter
Rutgers won the coin toss and UCLA received the opening kickoff.
There was a touchback and the Bruins started on their 25-yard line.
‘I’m confident in DeShaun’: UCLA’s Martin Jarmond backs coach amid 1-5 start
Eight months after he called DeShaun Foster “the right man for this job,†UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond continued to stand by his man amid a rocky start for the Bruins’ new football coach.
The Bruins are 1-5 for the first time since Chip Kelly’s second season in 2019. Their offense is among the worst in the nation. They haven’t won a home game in three tries and have lost five games in a row.
As one might expect when it comes to the most important hire of his nearly 4½ years on the job, Jarmond is remaining an optimist.
“I’m confident in DeShaun,†Jarmond told The Times on Monday afternoon during a wide-ranging telephone interview. “This is DeShaun’s team, these are his players and he’s working hard every day to make this program successful. Growth isn’t linear, and it’s not always reflected in the record, but the guys are playing hard and we’re getting better and they’re going to keep working hard, and so we’ve got to keep swinging and keep pushing forward.â€
Bruins for Life emerges as UCLA football’s NIL arm in reboot of fundraising efforts
UCLA’s football team is making a massive midseason change as part of a reboot of the athletic department’s name, image and likeness endeavors.
Bruins for Life, a new NIL arm established to focus solely on football, will join Champion of Westwood and Men of Westwood as one of the school’s NIL branches.
“This structure gives us more clarity and makes it easier for people that want to support our student-athletes to do it,†UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond told The Times. “You really need a more singular, specialized focus when it comes to raising money for football and men’s and women’s basketball.â€
‘I didn’t want to be bought’: Why Jay Toia returned to lead UCLA’s scrappy defense
A season of monotony has played out with a numbing sameness on the interior of UCLA’s defensive line.
On almost every play, two or three offensive linemen converge on Jay Toia, massive bodies colliding in an attempt to neutralize the Bruins defensive tackle.
Taken in isolation, it might seem like a win for coaches committing nearly 1,000 pounds to counteract an otherwise unstoppable force. Halfway through the season, Toia has tallied just 12 tackles, half a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries.
Those might seem like meager numbers for a player widely expected to be selected in the NFL draft this spring until you consider the ripple effect.
All that open space created by Toia’s block hogging has benefited teammates. Lots of them. Carson Schwesinger leads the Big Ten with 47 solo tackles. Kain Medrano has notched five tackles for loss, spending enough time in the backfield to collect loyalty points. Oluwafemi Oladejo has become a fearsome edge rusher in part because he has fewer bodies to beat on his way to the quarterback.
Can UCLA get its Big Ten breakthrough? Five things to watch against Rutgers
They played “The Sopranos†theme song at UCLA practice this week, a nod to the Bruins’ first game in New Jersey in the school’s 105 years of football.
If UCLA doesn’t beat reeling Rutgers in the land of the wiseguys, the Bruins can probably forget about it when it comes to being given a pass for their first Big Ten season.
Next up on the schedule are Nebraska (5-1), Iowa (4-2) and Washington (4-3), each probably a double-digit favorite against UCLA.
UCLA vs. Rutgers: How to watch the game, plus betting odds
UCLA (1-5) will look to snap its five-game losing streak against Minnesota (4-2) at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J., at 9 a.m. PDT. The game will air on the FS1 and will be available on 570 AM in the Los Angeles area.
Here are the betting odds for Saturday’s game between the Bruins and Scarlet Knights:
