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.

Could Martin guide the Bruins to an epic upset if he gets the nod as expected? Here are four more things to watch when UCLA (1-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) faces Penn State (4-0, 1-0) at 9 a.m. PDT in a game televised by Fox:

Next man up

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster repeatedly mentioned Inglewood versus Morningside in his conversations with Martin, a reference to the quarterback’s greatest moment of glory.

In his final high school season, Martin threw 13 touchdown passes during Inglewood’s record-setting 106-0 victory over its crosstown rival. While cynics might say the Bruins are the team at risk of being on the wrong end of such a score against the Nittany Lions given that they are four-touchdown underdogs, Martin certainly knows what it’s like to win big.

Martin has appeared at the end of two games this season at the Rose Bowl but has never faced an environment like the one the Bruins will find themselves in Saturday. Foster said he told Martin that he couldn’t hold onto the ball too long against the Nittany Lions, who are averaging 2.75 sacks per game.

Running in place

UCLA running back T.J. Harden ran for 53 yards against Oregon.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

UCLA’s quarterback will need significant help from an underperforming part of the offense.

The Bruins have not topped 100 yards in a game on the ground this season, a big reason their offense is among the least productive in major college football.

But there were some signs of progress last weekend against Oregon. T.J. Harden broke off 18- and 21-yard runs as part of a season-high 53 yards. Meanwhile, Keegan Jones (5.5 yards per carry on the season) and Jalen Berger (5.1) continue to make a case for more carries.

Something needs to change. The Bruins are averaging 57 yards rushing per game, leading only Akron (54.6) among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Just stop it

Ikaika Malloe is taking a two-pronged approach to fixing UCLA’s defense.

“I need to do a better job in terms of freeing up the guys that can make plays,” said Malloe, the Bruins defensive coordinator, “and putting guys on the field who I do believe can generate plays. I think you guys have seen just a touch of what they can do.”

Malloe said he wanted to help defensive tackle Jay Toia make a bigger impact after Oregon used a tight end as part of double teams to neutralize the Bruins’ best defensive player.

But UCLA will need playmakers across the board to stop a balanced Penn State offense that is averaging 251 yards per game on the ground and 245.8 yards per game through the air.

The Bruins are seeking their first sack since they notched five in their season opener against Hawaii.

Start me up

UCLA’s energy level in practice has vacillated wildly the last few weeks, with seemingly little correlation to results.

After several listless practices going into the game against Louisiana State, the Bruins responded with their best half of the season. A week later, after showing a jolt of energy in practices before Oregon, UCLA quickly found itself in a 28-3 hole against the Ducks.

The vibe was once again subdued this week, the silence early in practice Wednesday broken by a coach yelling an expletive as part of his efforts to revitalize players.

Assessing the mindset of his team after the Oregon game, Foster said it’s what’s done, not what’s said, that counts.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Foster said. “We’ve got to change our actions out there on the field, and hopefully that will fix some stuff.”