There are so many more questions that have come about this UCLA program before their season opening kickoff against Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are certainly no joke, facing off against three time Sun Belt Player of the Year Grayson McCall under center, and a resurgent offense that suddenly came about since the 2020 season.
The main question was how the quarterback position would be handled to start the season. Ethan Garbers won the starting job during training camp, but Bruins head coach Chip Kelly mentioned he would be rotated with freshman Dante Moore. Garbers’s lone start against Alabama State last season was rather impressive, and the amount of experience should have been enough to at the very least earn Kelly’s trust, right?
Garbers struggled at first to get things going, but back to back passes to close out the drive ended with a Bruins touchdown quickly. Ball State transfer Carson Steele also took some healthy reps at running back that also propelled the Bruins offense. Suddenly, things got extremely quiet. Garbers gambled and forced a bad pass in the endzone that ended up intercepted. Garbers then struggles on the next drive, then handing the duties off to Moore. Moore’s first drive: a 39 yard pass to Michael Strudivant that eventually led to a Bruins touchdown.
Garbers’s third quarter performance was just like how he powered through the second: collapsing under pressure and making bad plays. Another pick in the endzone kept around Coastal Carolina as they could handle. A missed field goal gave Moore another chance at quarterback to start the fourth. His response: going deep to the end zone for Michael Strudivant to put UCLA up eight.
“The one thing we talk about is how we responded in the third quarter,” Kelly said. “Sometimes as a coach things aren’t pretty, but there’s a reason why there is film to review. It’s a blessing to win games like this because there are a lot of things to correct. There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds. All in all, assessing a game like this is a lot easier when you are 1-0 compared to 0-1, because we could have some different conversations.
But even with two passes that could get just about anyone’s attention, it certainly won’t be enough for Moore to earn the starting role anytime soon. His next drive had a strong start, but a forced pass with the pocket collapsing earned Coastal Carolina their third interception, their second also in the endzone. Fortunately UCLA’s defense came through with a pick of their own, earning the right to kick a field goal to expand the lead to 14.
This game turned into less about discussing the win and more about where does the UCLA offense go from here. Everything just about went right for the UCLA defense forcing four sacks, stopping Coastal Carolina on third down when they needed most, and picking up three turnovers. San Diego State is next on their schedule. With the way both quarterbacks played, it will certainly take two more games to see where Chip Kelly’s mind is to see what he does when Pac-12 play begins on the road against Utah.
“It wasn’t pretty. But sometimes as a coach you have to review what happened to make your team better. We have a lot to work on in this young season.”
