This post was updated Oct. 21 at 1:44 a.m.

UCLA football (2-5, 1-4 Big Ten) conquered Rutgers (4-3, 1-3) for its first Big Ten victory Saturday afternoon at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. Assistant Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five main takeaways from the Bruins’ duel with the Scarlet Knights.

Is Garbers finally here?

Before flying to the East Coast, the Bruins were the only team in the FBS that had not scored at least 20 points in a game this season.

Saturday afternoon, that changed – in large part because of the efforts of redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers.

After a stretch of five consecutive losses, where he failed to eclipse 300 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, Garbers finally broke out of his offensive shell.

On Saturday, the Newport Beach, California, local recorded 383 passing yards, an 84.2% completion percentage and five total touchdowns – highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter. Garbers’ performance was proficient enough to award him a 203 passer rating and a 96.6 quarterback rating, his highest grades of the season.

Despite a fumble in the dying embers of the affair, Garbers mitigated his turnovers and prioritized the Bruins’ possession. The signal-caller has struggled in the turnover department this season but went without two or more turnovers for the first time this season Saturday.

After the third quarter, Garbers had already notched season-highs in passing yards, rushing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and completion percentage.

Running back university

With the likes of Jackie Robinson, DeShaun Foster, Jonathan Franklin, Maurice Jones-Drew and Zach Charbonnet, the Bruins have long been heralded for the success of their ground runners.

And though the numbers may not prove it, 2024 isn’t any different.

On Saturday, Garbers found eight different pass-catchers and threw touchdown passes to four different players – three of which were running backs. In fact, two of the top four receiving leaders from the Bruins’ matchup with the Scarlet Knights came from the backfield.

Redshirt senior running back Keegan Jones led the scoresheet with five catches, 114 receiving yards and one score, while junior running back T.J. Harden slotted in at fourth with five receptions, 34 receiving yards and a touchdown. Redshirt senior running back Jalen Berger rounded out the Bruins’ running back production with a lone nine-yard touchdown catch.

UCLA’s running backs’ success Saturday was no surprise, though. Through seven games, Harden and Jones held two of the top five spots in the receiving department – Harden in second with 238 receiving yards and Jones in fifth with 179. Additionally, three of the seven Bruins who have caught touchdown passes this season are true running backs.

While they have dominated the air, the Bruin running backs have struggled on the ground, evidenced by Garbers’ top rushing spot against the Knights. Meanwhile, Harden and Berger both rushed for fewer than 2.5 yards per carry and combined to log 42 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

An awful defense

The excitement of the Bruins’ win – their first since Aug. 31 – seemed to have masked the Scarlet Knights’ 32 points, just three points shy of UCLA’s 35. The hosts had not scored more than 30 points in a game in six weeks.

But Rutgers had no problem carving through UCLA’s defense, particularly on the ground.

Running back Kyle Monangai – who hadn’t topped 100 rushing yards since late September and three rushing touchdowns since early September – torched the UCLA defense, recording 106 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per attempt.

However, the subpar performance was not entirely uncharacteristic for UCLA’s run defense – which has allowed more than 100 rushing yards in four of its six contests in 2024.

And yet, the team’s defensive struggles do not stop there. The unit has consistently scrapped to reach the opposing quarterback – recording zero sacks against LSU, Penn State and Oregon and only one against Rutgers.

It’s safe to say that the Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten has exposed holes in the defense – a force that ranked second nationally in rush defense and 14th in total defense just a year ago. In four of its seven affairs this season, the unit yielded more than 400 yards of offense and conceded more than 25 points in five matchups.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger remains a bright spot for UCLA’s defense. The redshirt junior is the only Bruin with at least two sacks on the season, as senior linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo trails behind with 1.5. Despite being a projected NFL Draft pick, Jay Toia has yet to record a sack this season.

Official disappearance of J.Michael Sturdivant

While Toia is amid one of the Bruins’ most disappointing seasons, it might be J.Michael Sturdivant who heads the letdown category.

Through the first five games of the season, the redshirt junior wide receiver racked up five catches for a dismal 52 receiving yards.

It looked as if all was lost for the Highland Village, Texas, local until he exploded against Minnesota, recording 107 receiving yards on seven receptions and one touchdown.

The comeback was short-lived – Sturdivant was pushed back to square one one week later.

The pass-catcher was virtually invisible Saturday afternoon in New Jersey, seeing zero catches for zero yards through the air and nothing on the ground.

In a game where Garbers threw for 383 passing yards and hit eight different pass-catchers, it is almost unbelievable that Sturdivant was not featured in the box score whatsoever. Last year’s No. 1 option has gone radio silent despite Garbers being the main signal-caller last season, too.

While associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy replaced former head coach Chip Kelly as the Bruins’ offensive mastermind, many expected that Sturdivant would take his efforts a step further after posting 597 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns last year.

With arguably the most raw talent of any player on the roster, it is unknown why or how Sturdivant has disappeared this season, but Garbers and the brains behind UCLA’s offense need to urgently capitalize on the talent at their disposal.

A singular bright spot

Despite serving as a reserve linebacker and working on special teams the last two seasons, Schwesinger has been a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the UCLA defense – even overshadowing redshirt senior linebacker and former All-Pac-12 honorable mention Kain Medrano.

Schwesinger is in the running for the most valuable player on the Bruin defense this season. The former walk-on ranks third in the country for solo tackles – notching 45 in seven appearances.

The Moorpark, California, local, displayed versatility with his pass rushing and run-stopping abilities all season long. Schwesinger leads the team in total tackles, tackles for loss and sacks with 72.0, 6.5 and 2.0 respectively. The Big Ten leader in solo tackles has also notched a forced fumble and quarterback hit this year.

While his best performance came last week against Minnesota – logging 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks – his 10-tackle performance against Rutgers on Saturday increased his streak of double digit tackles to five consecutive games.

In a defense that has looked completely disorganized, Schwesinger may just be that silver lining.