UCLA showed significant improvement, with quarterback Justyn Martin handling pressure during his first start for the Bruins in place of injured Ethan Garbers.
Justyn Martin shows poise and promise, but UCLA still falls to Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — UCLA might have found something in a season wildly veering in the wrong direction.
Justyn time, you might say.
With their starting quarterback sidelined by injury, the Bruins turned to Justyn Martin and watched the redshirt sophomore make smart, efficient plays early in his first start to keep his team competitive in a game it was expected to lose by four touchdowns.
UCLA eventually wilted in a 27-11 loss to No. 7 Penn State on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, undone by many of the same issues that have plagued it all season, but there was no doubting the promise shown by the Bruins quarterback.
“Took command of the offense and just made plays,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said, “so we just have to build off this and just hopefully we can build some momentum and get going.”
Penn State runs out clock and secures the win
No. 7 Penn State 27, UCLA 11, end of the fourth quarter
UCLA attempted an onsides kick and Penn State fielded it without issue.
The Nittany Lions ran out the clock.
UCLA showed significant improvement, but was overpowered by Penn State.
UCLA breaks its multi-game touchdown drought
No. 7 Penn State 27, UCLA 11, 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter
UCLA started on its 27 after Keegan Jones returned the kickoff 24 yards.
Jones ran for five yards. Jones ran for four yards. And quarterback Justyn Martin ran for eight yards.
Martin passed to Logan Loya for 14 yards. Jones ran for four yards. On second-and-six, Martin passed to Jalen Berger for nine yards.
On first down on the Penn State 29, Martin was hit as he tried to pass to Carter Shaw and the pass on the left side of the field fell incomplete. On second-and-10, Martin passed to Jones for four yards. On third-and-six, Martin ran along the right sideline for seven yards. The play was reviewed and the call it was a first down was upheld.
Berger ran for three yards, then ran for another three yards before the two-minute official timeout. Martin ran for two yards. On fourth-and-two, Martin passed to Logan Loya for five yards.
On first-and-goal at the Penn State 5, Berger ran for one yard. Berger then ran for three yards. On third-and-goal at the Penn State one-yard line with 20 seconds left, Penn State called timeout. Martin completed a one-yard pass to Logan Loya. It was UCLA’s first touchdown in nearly nine quarters.
Martin passed to Keegan Jones for the two-point conversion.
Penn State tacks on a field goal
No. 7 Penn State 27, UCLA 3, 8:17 left in the fourth quarter
Penn State started on its 12 after a fourth-down stop.
Kaytron Allen ran for two yards. Drew Allar tossed an incomplete pass. Allar passed to Liam Clifford for 57 yards. UCLA was called for too many men on the field, but the penalty was declined.
On first down at the UCLA 29, Allar tossed an incomplete pass. Allar tossed a shovel pass to Quinton Martin for five yards. Beau Pribula lined up at quarterback and ran for one yard.
Ryan Barker kicked a 40-yard field goal to close the drive.
UCLA can’t convert on fourth down in red zone
No. 7 Penn State 24, UCLA 3, 11:10 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA started at its 46.
Justyn Martin passed to T.J. Harden for a one-yard gain. Martin then passed to Bryce Pierre for 12 yards.
Keegan Jones ran for 22 yards. He carried the ball again for another three yards. On second-and-seven at the Penn State 16, Jalen Berger ran for four yards. On third-and-three, Martin’s pass was high and incomplete. On fourth-and-three, UCLA’s offense huddled on field amid crowd noise and then called timeout.
Martin’s pass to the end zone was behind Moliki Matavao as the two miscommunicated about where the tight end was supposed to go on the play.
UCLA turned the ball over on downs at the Penn State 12.
UCLA defense gets a stop and Bruins nearly block a punt
No. 7 Penn State 24, UCLA 3, 14:47 left in the fourth quarter
Penn State faced third and-six on its 16-yard line to start the fourth quarter.
Drew Allar’s pass was deflected by Kain Medrano and fell incomplete.
Penn State punted and it was nearly blocked. UCLA caught it for a fair catch at its 46.
Penn State dominates third quarter
No. 7 Penn State 24, UCLA 3, end of third quarter
Penn State started on its 12-yard line.
Kaytron Allen rushed for three yards. Drew Allar then passed to Allen for one yard and time expired in the third quarter.
UCLA offense continues to stall
No. 7 Penn State 24, UCLA 3, 2:57 left in the third quarter
UCLA started on its 25.
Justyn Martin tossed an incomplete pass, then passed to Jack Pedersen for three yards and passed to Moliki Matavao for one yard.
UCLA punted. Penn State was called for holding and was moved back to its 12-yard line.
Penn State keeps rolling, scores a touchdown
No. 7 Penn State 24, UCLA 3, 2:57 left in the third quarter
Penn State started on its 42.
Kaytron Allen ran for 10 yards and UCLA was called for a face mask, moving the ball to the UCLA 33.
Allen ran for three yards. Drew Allar passed to Harrison Wallace II for 14 yards. Allar passed to Julian Fleming for 15 yards. And Allen ran up the middle for a one-yard touchdown.
Penn State hit the extra point and continues to dominate the third quarter.
UCLA forced to punt again
No. 7 Penn State 17, UCLA 3, 5:23 left in the third quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after a touchback.
Justyn Martin passed to Jack Pedersen for eight yards. Jalen Berger ran for no gain and UCLA was called for holding. Berger then ran up the middle for 18 yards.
Martin tossed an incomplete pass before for finding Berger for a loss of seven yards. Martin was then sacked for a loss of 16 yards.
UCLA punted on fourth-and-33 from its 18 and Penn State returned it to its 42.
Penn State tacks on a field goal
No. 7 Penn State 17, UCLA 3, 8:36 left in the third quarter
Penn State started on the UCLA 47.
Kaytron Allen ran 11 yards to the UCLA 36. Drew Allar’s deep pass was intercepted by Kaylin Moore, but the Bruins were called for holding. Penn State kept the ball and moved to the UCLA 26.
Allen ran for six yards. Allar passed to Tyler Warren for nine yards. Allen rushed for a loss of three yards. Allen ran for another loss of a yard. Allar passed to Quinton Martin for seven yards. And Ryan Barker kicked a 25-yard field goal to extend Penn State’s lead.
UCLA goes three-and-out to open third quarter
No. 7 Penn State 14, UCLA 3, 12:38 left in the third quarter
UCLA started on its 19 after a kickoff return.
T.J. Harden ran for a loss of two yards, Carter Shaw ran for no gain and Justyn Martin was sacked for a loss of 14 yards.
UCLA punted and Penn State returned the ball to the UCLA 47.
UCLA runs out clock to close improved first half
No. 7 Penn State 14, UCLA 3, end of second quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the Penn State touchback.
T.J. Harden ran for 14 yards and then UCLA ran out the clock.
UCLA looked vastly improved compared to their past few games, with Justyn Martin looking especially strong leading the offense in his first start.
The Bruins will receive the ball to open the second half.
Penn State scores in final minute of second quarter
No. 7 Penn State 14, UCLA 3, 20 seconds left in the second quarter
Penn State started on its 25.
Drew Allar’s first pass was incomplete. Allar passed to Khalil Dinkins for six yards.
Officals then called for the two-minute timeout.
Allar passed to Liam Clifford for 24 yards. Allar then pass to Julian Fleming for a 12-yard gain.
On first down at the UCLA 33, Allar passed Harrison Wallace III for a 25-yard gain.
On first-and-goal at the UCLA 8, Kaytron Allen ran for three yards. Allen then rushed for no gain. After a Penn State timeout, Allar passed to Tyler Warren for a five-yard touchdown and the Nittany Lions hit the extra point.
UCLA scores its first points on drive that includes big pass play
No. 7 Penn State 7, UCLA 3, 2:51 left in the second quarter
UCLA started on its 25 after the touchback.
T.J. Harden ran for four yards and UCLA ran for another four ona team rush. On third-and-two, Justyn Martin passed for four yards to T.J. Harden.
Martin then passed to Harden for 53 yards along the left sideline.
On first down at the Penn State 10, Jalen Berger ran for three yards. On second-and-seven, Martin’s incomplete pass was blocked. On third-and-goal at the Penn State seven, Martin scrambled for no gain.
Mateen Bhaghani hit a 25-yard field goal to cut Penn State’s lead.
Penn State scores on opening drive of second quarter
No. 7 Penn State 7, UCLA 0, 6:40 left in the second quarter
Kayton Allen rushed for seven yards and another five yards. UCLA’s Jay Toia was called offsides. Beau Pribula took over at quarterback and ran for five yards.
Allen ran for nine yards, but Penn State was called for holding. On third-and-11 at the Penn State 29, Drew Allar was back in at quarterback and passed to Liam Clifford for 26 yards.
Quinton Martin rushed for one yard. Allar then passed to Tyler Warren for 15 yards, moving the ball to the UCLA 29.
Allar passed to Harrison Wallace III for seven yards. Allar then tossed on an incomplete pass. On third-and-three at the UCLA 22, Allar dove for three yards and the first down.
Allen rushed for eight yards. Allen was then stopped for no gain. On third-and-two at the UCLA 11, Allar ran for two yards.
On first-and-goal at the nine, Allen ran for six yards. On second-and-goal at the three, Allen ran for two yards. And on third-and-goal at the one, Allar ran for the one-yard touchdown.
The touchdown call was under review on the field. It was upheld and the Nittany Lions hit the extra point.
UCLA ends strong first quarter with a punt
UCLA 0, No. 7 Penn State 0, end of first quarter
UCLA started on its 25.
Jalen Berger ran for four yards. Justyn Martin’s pass under pressure was incomplete and broken up. UCLA called its second timeout of the first half on third-and-six at the Bruins’ 29 with 3:18 left in the first quarter.
UCLA was called for false start. On third-and-11, Martin was under pressure and tossing off his back foot, but he found Logan Loyan for an 18-yard gain.
Jalen Berger ran for a loss of one yard. Martin passed to Moliki Matavao for eight yards. On seocnd-and-three, Martin was rolling back passed a screen to T.H. Harden for a loss of three yards.
UCLA was bumped back to its 46 and punted as time expired in the first quarter. Penn State took a fair catch at the Nittany Lions 18.
UCLA defense forces another Penn State punt
UCLA 0, No. 7 Penn State 0, 4:02 left in the first quarter
Penn State started on its 24 after its defense earned a fourth down stop.
Kaytron Allen ran for 11 yards. Tyler Warren ran for five yards. Drew Allar passed to Quinton Martin for six yards, moving he ball to Penn State’s 46-yard line.
On first down, Allar tossed an incomplete pass, Allen rushed for no gain. On third-and-10, Oluwafemi Oladejo sacked Allar for a loss of nine yards.
Penn State punted and UCLA let the ball roll out of bounds inside the UCLA 30.
Justyn Martin impresses with strong opening drive, but UCLA scores no points
UCLA 0, No. 7 Penn State 0, 7:05 left in the first quarter
Justyn Martin started in place of Ethan Garbers.
T.J. Harden ran for three yards. On second down, Harden ran for another three yards. On third-and-four with the crowd roaring, Martyn passed to Logan Loya for 16 yards.
On first down on the Penn State 48, Martin pased quickly to Loya for three yards. Martin faked a handoff and passed to Kwazi Gilmer for three yards. On third-and-four, the team huddled on the field to offset crowd noise. Martin then passed to Keegan Jones for one yard. On fourth-and-three at the Penn State 41, UCLA huddled for a too long behind the line of scrimmage and DeShaun Foster called timeout to avoid a penalty.
Martin passed to Moliki Matavao for nine yards, moving the ball to the Penn State 32.
Martin passed to Matavao, who tried to pull in the ball for nine yards and had it forced out along the sideline. Penn State grabbed the ball and was tackled after a short return. The officials reviewed whether the ball was caught in order for a fumble to be possible and whether there was targeting on the play.
The officials ruled there was no targeting foul and the pass was complete.
On second-and-10 at the Pen State 32, Harden ran for five yards. On third-and-five, Harden ran for four yards. On fourth-and-one, Penn State stuffed Harden on a run for a loss of one yard.
The Bruins turned the ball over at the Penn State 24.
UCLA has gone for it on fourth down on this drive alone more often than it has all season.
UCLA defense forces a punt
No. 7 Penn State 0, UCLA 0, 13:30 left in the first quarter
After the kickoff return, Penn State started on its 27.
Kayton Allen rushed for five yards, Drew Allar tossed an incomplete pass and Allar passed to Omari Evans for three yards.
Penn State punted to the UCLA 30.
And we’re off ...
No. 7 Penn State 0, UCLA 0, start of first quarter
UCLA won the toss and deferred.
Penn State received the opening kickoff.
‘I just don’t want to let down this team’: Ikaika Malloe is driven to fix UCLA’s defense
It started as the same unremarkable sequence that materializes dozens of times a season on UCLA’s football practice field, a coach lingering to speak with reporters and engage in the usual give and take.
Questions were asked about simplifying the defense and putting more pressure on the quarterback. Answers were given about accountability, attention to detail and putting the right defenders in position to make plays.
Then the coach started blinking tears, his voice catching, his words a chore. Everything routine about the exchange transformed into something else entirely.
“You know, I love this defense because I feel like part of them,” defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe began Tuesday, still holding it together. “They work so hard to try to give me what I want, you know, and so, on the flip side just, man, I can’t — I mean, I’ve been up since 3 o’clock on Sunday because I just don’t want to let down this team.
“These kids fight hard, man,” Malloe continued, now struggling to keep his composure, “and so I think the love for each other, that’s what keeps us going. But fundamentally, technically, that’s my job. I just got to get these kids better so we can win.”
UCLA-Oregon rewind: Familiar problems haunt Bruins
UCLA fans who gave up and went to bed should consider themselves the smart ones.
They only missed more disappointment.
A late start for the Bruins on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl came with an early ending for hopes of an upset.
UCLA fell behind by multiple touchdowns, found a flicker of hope with a big defensive play and ultimately came up short once again during a 34-13 loss to No. 8 Oregon.
Will Justyn Martin start at quarterback for UCLA? Five things to watch vs. Penn State
Come on down, Justyn Martin?
It was increasingly looking that way as UCLA finalized preparations for what’s going to be a difficult challenge no matter who takes the first snap at quarterback.
Barring a gutsy comeback from Ethan Garbers, his understudy will make his first college start Saturday against No. 7 Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
Garbers remained confined to an exercise bike midweek after being knocked out of the Bruins’ loss to Oregon last weekend with an unspecified injury, leaving his status in doubt for the game against the Nittany Lions. Martin, a redshirt sophomore, took first-string snaps in practice, every repetition coveted by a player who has thrown all of five passes in college.
UCLA vs. Penn State: How to watch the game, plus betting odds
UCLA (1-3) will face one of its toughest tests of the season Saturday when it takes on No. 7 Penn State (4-0) on the road at 9 a.m. PDT. The game will air on Fox and will be available on 1150 AM in the Los Angeles area.
Here are the latest betting odds for the game:
