UCLA’s regular-season finale against Cal will be a family affair

2 years ago 296

At slightest 2 families volition beryllium divided successful the last days of Thanksgiving week erstwhile UCLA hosts Cal successful the Rose Bowl connected Saturday night.

UCLA redshirt freshman backmost Ethan Garbers and sophomore kicker RJ Lopez volition admit their siblings successful a antithetic shadiness of bluish and gold.

Fifth-year elder Chase Garbers volition marque his 32nd commencement arsenic the Golden Bears’ backmost portion redshirt sophomore Nick Lopez is the team’s backup kicker.

It volition beryllium the archetypal gathering betwixt the Garbers brothers astatine the assemblage level.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Chase said. “I astir apt won’t speech to him until we spot each different Saturday.

“We usually don’t speech during the (season). We talked concisely aft his archetypal commencement but we’re some engaged with our respective teams.”

Chase would person been connected the opposing sideline from Ethan, who transferred retired of Washington to UCLA, for the opener of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Golden Bears were incapable to tract a competitory roster due to the fact that of a affirmative COVID-19 trial and the crippled was canceled, though the teams ended up scheduling a Sunday gathering connected abbreviated announcement the pursuing week erstwhile some of their opponents had to cancel owed to COVID concerns.

“They’re a bully squad and a large matchup for us,” Chase said astir this week’s game. “It is bully to really person a afloat week of mentation and spell (to the Rose Bowl) with the crippled program oriented toward them and not different team.”

The Garbers brothers went to Corona del Mar High, but they were ne'er connected the aforesaid varsity roster together.

The Lopez brothers went to antithetic precocious schools and person acquisition being connected other sides of each different successful the aforesaid game.

Nick made each six field-goal attempts arsenic Mater Dei bushed RJ and Mission Viejo successful a 2017 CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal.

RJ competed successful past year’s UCLA-Cal game, but Nick didn’t play.

WHEN CAL HAS THE BALL

Chase Garbers is besides acquainted with UCLA antiaircraft coordinator Jerry Azzinaro, who coached Cal’s antiaircraft enactment successful 2017.

“He was present for 1 twelvemonth erstwhile I was here,” Chase said. “His antiaircraft play benignant is beauteous assertive and beauteous exotic. They similar to make havoc.”

The Bruins’ defence has created chaos successful consecutive wins against Colorado and USC, utilizing unit to sack quarterbacks and make turnovers, but the secondary remains susceptible to giving up explosive plays down the field.

“They were truly balanced (against Stanford), I thought they mixed the walk and the tally truly well.” UCLA manager Chip Kelly said of Cal. “They besides mixed their formations good and could get aggregate receivers connected the tract to dispersed things out. If they bash that you person to beryllium alert of Garbers arsenic a runner.”

Garbers became Cal’s all-time starring rusher arsenic a backmost earlier this season.

“They tally the shot truly good and he’s portion of the moving game,” Kelly said. “He tin impact the crippled with his feet. … he’s doing a truly bully occupation successful moving their offense.”

Damien Moore (516 yards, six TDs) and Christopher Brooks (497, 1 TD) are the featured runners retired of the backfield this season, portion Garbers has 424 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.

WHEN UCLA HAS THE BALL

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is coming disconnected an awesome show (349 yards passing, 4 TD passes, 2 TD runs) against USC, but helium said helium has already enactment that crippled down him arsenic helium prepares to pb the discourtesy successful what could beryllium his last location crippled astatine the Rose Bowl.

The backmost can’t spend to get excessively comfy against a Cal defence that has shown a accordant quality to make turnovers.

The Golden Bears person intercepted 2 oregon much passes successful their past 3 games. Before the Bruins (7-4 overall, 5-3 Pac-12) commencement throwing the shot around, they’ll look to found the tally crippled with moving backmost Zach Charbonnet.

“The moving backmost is highly hard to tackle,” Cal antiaircraft coordinator Peter Sirmon said. “He’s a precise almighty runner with the mode they usage him.”

Sirmon believes Kelly’s quality to usage tempo and assorted formations connected discourtesy could unit the Golden Bears (4-6, 3-4) into much one-on-one tackling situations.

“I tried to bash a small probe connected the magnitude of breached tackles (Charbonnet’s) forced,” Sirmon said. “It’s each implicit the tape.”

Charbonnet is coming disconnected a 167-yard show against USC and could person the bulk of the carries if moving backmost Brittain Brown is incapable to play again this week.

Cal, which volition look to swarm to the shot to bounds yards aft contact, features a brace of SoCal natives astatine information (Daniel Scott and Elijah Hicks), who pb the squad successful tackles.