Step aside, Coach Prime. Ethan Garbers could take center stage in UCLA vs. Colorado
So nice of everyone to drop by to see Ethan Garbers.
What’s expected to be UCLA’s biggest crowd of the season at the Rose Bowl presumably will watch Garbers make a second consecutive start at quarterback for the Bruins after his last was such a success.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders could become the headliner upstaged by the opening act if Garbers can engineer another victory. Just as Sanders’ Buffalo buzz is diminishing with three losses in his last four games, Garbers is trying to build a case for sustainability.
This has all the trappings of a prime-time slot on ABC showcasing "Coach Prime." UCLA will break out light-blue throwback uniforms for its homecoming celebration. Several end-zone tarps are coming off, putting capacity at 70,865 for a game the school announced as sold out.
Here are five things to watch when the No. 23 Bruins (5-2 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) face the Buffaloes (4-3, 1-3) in a game starting at 4:30 p.m.:
The ‘Prime’ effect
Sanders was sporting a silver beard this week when he met with reporters, a new look to go with his sunglasses, cowboy hat and massive gold chains.
“Coach Prime” has been the most refreshing story of the season even amid his team’s recent slump, showing that massive roster turnover paired with a new culture can lead to an immediate revival.
The interest in Sanders’ team is unprecedented. All eight Buffaloes games have been sold out. This will be the fifth Colorado game shown on network television, a school record with a handful of games left. The Buffaloes’ combined social media following has gone from 268,000 when Sanders was hired to 2,250,000 this week.
Read more: The gospel according to Deion Sanders: Coach Prime woos fans and overhauls Colorado
“He’s great for college football, the attention and the buzz that he’s brought to this game — but I also admire him,” said UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who got to visit with Sanders a few years ago when the former NFL star brought his son Shedeur to a Bruins camp.
“He’s a little bit old school, you know, in terms of his approach, in terms of how he does things and I think it‘s the same he was when he was a player. He had a tremendous amount of talent, but he’s got an unbelievable work ethic in terms of what he does and how he performs and what he puts into it and I think that’s what he’s asking from his players and that’s what he’s getting from his players.”
Two-way star
Colorado’s Travis Hunter isn’t just playing both ways, he might be the best player on each side of the ball whenever he’s on the field.
In the season opener against Texas Christian, he became the only Football Bowl Subdivision player in at least 20 seasons to record 100 yards receiving and an interception in the same game.
After sitting out three games with a lacerated liver, he returned to play in a school-record 149 plays from scrimmage this month against Stanford.
“It’s unheard of,” Kelly said. “You know, some guys do it in spots where, you know, they’re a full-time [defensive back] and then they run eight to 10, 15 routes on offense, and he’s playing 50 snaps on offense and playing 50 snaps on defense. So, I think from a competitive-endurance standpoint, he’s as good as than maybe there’s ever been.”
Welcome back?
A reporter finally coaxed a meaningful injury update from Kelly, who usually describes someone only as “available” or “unavailable” on the day he’s asked, refusing to project into the future.
After Kelly said quarterback Collin Schlee was back from an unspecified injury and practicing with the team, the reporter asked if — taking out any hypotheticals — Schlee was on a trajectory to be available against the Buffaloes.
Said Kelly: “You said taking out the hypotheticals, right?”
Said the reporter: “Yes.”
Said Kelly: “That’s a good point, that’s a good way to do it. Yes, I would say 'Yes' to that. He’s on a trajectory. I like that. That’s good work by you, that’s a good way to phrase it.”
Schlee’s return would bolster the Bruins’ run game while giving the starting quarterback a breather. Before he was hurt against Oregon State, Schlee had run for 80 yards in only six carries.
Just stop it
It seems incredible given all the crummy defenses UCLA has fielded in recent years.
Now, in at least one way, no one is better.
The Bruins lead the nation by giving up only 68.6 rushing yards per game. That’s just part of a stunning surge in which UCLA has piled up 56 tackles for loss, 24 sacks and nine interceptions, far exceeding the 33 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and seven interceptions it tallied through seven games last season.
Read more: UCLA vs. Colorado five greatest games: Bruins were rarely Buffaloed
The big challenge this week will be stopping a Colorado passing attack that’s generating 346.1 yards per game, third in the Pac-12.
The Bruins had better hope they can put the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter, considering that Shedeur Sanders has led three fourth-quarter comebacks and thrown for eight touchdowns and no interceptions in fourth quarters.
Another throwback
Kelly’s Bruins are resembling his old Oregon Ducks in one important way — they get better the deeper they go into games.
UCLA has outscored opponents 92-41 in the second half and 47-7 in the fourth quarter. Several Bruins were not making empty boasts before the season when they said they could be the best-conditioned team in the Pac-12.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
