UCLA vs. Hawaii takeaways: What's going on with Ethan Garbers?

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HONOLULU — Milling about outside UCLA’s locker room, sweat trickling from his forehead after a scorching afternoon in the Hawaiian sun, Martin Jarmond stopped briefly near a group of reporters to put an upbeat spin on a stickier-than-expected victory.

“Do you know what the best part of going 1-0 is?” the Bruins athletic director asked. “It gives you a chance to go 2-0.”

Indeed it does. But this team will have to play significantly better than it did in coach DeShaun Foster’s debut to get there.

There were breakdowns across the board as the Bruins eked out a 16-13 victory over Hawaii that left their fans going eek! Quarterback Ethan Garbers played more like a freshman than a redshirt senior in the first half. The run game ran a rocket-fueled reverse from seasons past. Foster and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy made some extremely cautious decisions as part of their game management.

It’s true that other teams — yes, we’re looking at you, Oregon — also struggled in their openers against supposedly inferior opponents and are not abandoning hopes for a special season, but let’s just say UCLA’s bye week is coming at the right time for a team with so many fixes to make.

Here are five takeaways from the Bruins’ opener:

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A conservative ticket?

It didn’t take long for Foster and Bieniemy to reveal their level of aggressiveness.

On UCLA’s first drive, the Bruins picked up one first down and punted while facing fourth and five at Hawaii’s 44-yard line. Foster seemed confused when asked about his decision after the game, saying, “I just wanted to go for it.”

In the second quarter, UCLA appeared to be going for it on fourth and four at the Hawaii 34 only to call a timeout and reverse course. Blake Glessner then attempted a 52-yard field goal that was wide right.

Foster made one decision that worked in the Bruins’ favor when he accepted a penalty against Hawaii that made it third and 10 for the Rainbow Warriors rather than fourth and five. Given the extra chance to get a first down, quarterback Brayden Schager threw a pass that fell incomplete and Hawaii punted.

But Foster could have saved his team from embarrassment had he called timeout instead of letting Hawaii snap the ball when the Bruins only had nine men on the field on what was supposed to be a Rainbow Warriors punt in the first quarter. Seeing that UCLA was severely outmanned on one side of the field, the punter ran for 19 yards and a first down.

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Not his best day

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers passes against Hawaii in the first half Saturday.

Expected to be a steadying force, Garbers was one of the reasons things went haywire in the first half.

The veteran quarterback repeatedly locked onto receivers during slow-developing plays, resulting in telegraphed passes that usually fell incomplete. He also made two bad decisions, throwing into a throng of defenders in the end zone and hurling a ball up for grabs while in the clutches of a defender to prevent a safety. Both passes resulted in interceptions.

“Everyone was trying to do too much instead of just sticking to their job, including me, you know, trying to make plays, trying to put stuff that wasn’t really there,” Garbers said. “You know, I got to be smarter. I got to be more calm and more collected back there.”

That’s exactly what he did in the second half, rallying the Bruins with shorter — and smarter — passes in addition to the 39-yard touchdown he fired to Rico Flores Jr. after stepping up in the pocket. Finally resembling the player who was selected most valuable player of the LA Bowl, Garbers completed 13 of his final 19 passes for 203 yards.

That’s the guy UCLA is going to need to get back to a bowl game this season.

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Running backward

The one given about UCLA under Chip Kelly was that the Bruins would have a formidable running game.

That changed in their first game since Foster went from running backs coach to running the whole shebang. Running backs T.J. Harden, Keegan Jones and Anthony Frias II combined for 24 yards in 13 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per carry.

There was often nowhere to run given the struggles of an offensive line that was missing both of its starting tackles by game’s end. Foster intimated that both left tackle Reuben Unije, who left the game in the third quarter, and right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio, who sat out with an apparent shoulder injury, would return soon.

One thing is certain: UCLA is not going to be able to compete in the Big Ten without a functional running game.

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Getting it done

After getting shredded in soft zone coverage in the first half, the Bruins appeared to increasingly rely on man-to-man coverage for the rest of the game. It worked.

UCLA gave up only three points and 100 yards of offense in the second half, making defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s debut a success. (It also helped that Schager appeared hobbled by injury in the second half.)

There were a slew of standouts. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger made seven tackles, including one for a loss, and forced a fumble. Defensive backs D.J. Justice and Ramon Henderson each intercepted a pass. Defensive back K.J. Wallace broke up four passes and notched two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.

Ten players combined for the team’s 11 tackles for loss.

“We just played complementary football,” said Wallace, a transfer from Georgia Tech. “Every drive, we came out there and we just told ourselves regardless of what’s going on in the game right now, we’re going to go out there and do what we need to do.”

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Finding their guy

UCLA's Mateen Bhaghani celebrates with teammate Jacob Busic after kicking a field goal in the final minute.

UCLA’s kickers were a mess last season, combining to make eight of 17 field goals.

It looked like more of the same when Glessner missed the Bruins’ first attempt Saturday. Enter Mateen Bhaghani, a transfer from California.

Bhaghani made all three of his attempts, including a 32-yarder with 56 seconds left that provided the winning margin.

“First game-winner and it comes in college,” Bhaghani said, who was selected Big Ten special teams player of the week. “Great feeling.”

It was the feel-good moment the Bruins needed to salvage what could have been a depressing day.