Rutgers football game week opponent profile: UCLA
The Rutgers football team will remain at home to face off against UCLA on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (4-2, 1-2) are coming off a lackluster 42-7 defeat against Wisconsin, their second straight loss of the season.
The Bruins (1-5, 0-4) have not had a warm welcome to their inaugural season in the Big Ten, facing Oregon and Penn State, two of the conference's top teams.
The Daily Targum sat down with Matthew Niiya and Ira Gorawara of the Daily Bruin to preview this weekend's matchup against UCLA.
"You look at the numbers, you look at the stats within the Big Ten, UCLA is the bottom," Gorawara said on the team's slow start under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. "UCLA is the bottom nationally, so if you look at the numbers, obviously nothing is really going in DeShaun Foster or UCLA's favor."
Coming off a 2023 campaign in which he threw for 11 touchdowns and 1,136 yards, fans saw a glimpse of quarterback Ethan Garbers' potential. Unlike last season, Garbers has seen more struggles than success this year. In five games, he's thrown nine interceptions, which is more than double the four touchdown passes he has recorded. But the early passing struggles cannot be placed solely on Garbers.
"I think (UCLA) has really struggled so far, and it all comes down, at least offensively, on the offensive line," Niiya said. "I don't think Ethan Garbers has had a whole lot of time to throw from back in the pocket."
The Bruins' offensive line saw some changes in the offseason, with the addition of transfers Alani Makihele and Reuben Unije, who have both seen significant time on the field this season.
One bright spot for the UCLA offense has been running back T.J. Harden, a dual-threat back who can be a challenge for defensive coordinators to gameplan for. Through six games, Harden leads the Bruins with 185 rushing yards while also being his team's leading receiver with 204 yards.
"T.J. Harden is, it's kind of a similar case to (UCLA's) wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant where they're extremely talented but not being used enough," Gorawara said. "With T.J. Harden, it comes down to the offensive line. They're not really creating those opportunities."
Defensively, UCLA has given up the second-most points in the Big Ten, with opponents averaging 28.5 points per game. Despite early struggles as a unit, linebacker Carson Schwesinger has emerged as a breakout player for the Bruins. Schwesinger has racked up 62 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks, leading UCLA in all three categories.
Both teams come into Saturday's contest struggling and needing a bounce-back win. Rutgers is on a two-game losing streak, while the Bruins are on a five-game losing streak. This matchup will mark the first time the Knights and UCLA face off against one another.
As far as Niiya's prediction for the game, "I'm going to say 17-10 Rutgers."
Gorawara's prediction was similar, "I'm going to go also Rutgers wins, but I'm going to go 23-20."
Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
