In a season riddled with injury and transfer portal drama, UCLA comes back from a halftime deficit to beat Boise State 35-22 at the LA Bowl game. This win makes the hometown team the only Pac 12 team to win the LA Bowl in the three years it has run.
Both sides of the ball started off slow for UCLA, with the defense allowing 16 points and the offense scoring their only points at the end of the first quarter.
The tide changed early in the second half when Ethan Garbers joined the game at quarterback after an injury to starter Collin Schlee. Garbers was able to help lead UCLA back to a win by throwing two touchdowns during a 28-0 run.
“That whole performance was for the team. For the seniors.”
Garbers said of how he played coming in as a backup. The team made it very clear all week leading up to the game that the Bruins would be playing this game for their seniors, hoping to send them off with a win and ending the season on top.
There was also a lot of talk surrounding the various UCLA players who entered the transfer portal after the team’s loss at home to Cal. Chip Kelly shared early in the week that those players were not at bowl game practices, creating questions about who would start for UCLA.
Despite these gaps, mainly seen in the offense, the team was able to come together and win Kelly’s first bowl game as a Bruin. UCLA finishes the season 8-5 with their first bowl game since 2015. While Boise State finishes as Mountain West champs with an 8-6 record.
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