2024 Oregon football summer opponent preview: 3 UCLA Bruins to know
By Ethan Lee
The Oregon Ducks and the UCLA Bruins are gearing up for their inaugural Big Ten football season as August is just around the corner. And as Oregon makes the move into the Big Ten (right along with UCLA), we’ll get the pleasure of seeing these two teams meet up this year.
While both teams decided to leave the Pac-12 behind in search of greener pastures (and better stability and financial situations), this matchup on September 28 in the Rose Bowl will get to continue. It just won’t be a Pac-12 game. Instead, the Big Ten now gets West Coast games.
So, as these two teams get set to start their new lease on life in the Big Ten, here are three UCLA players that Oregon football fans will need to know.
No. 1: Ethan Garbers - Quarterback
It’s not really a given that he’s the starter just yet, but Ethan Garbers, the Bruins' redshirt senior quarterback, has plenty of valuable experience that he’s bringing to the table for UCLA. Weighing in at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Garbers is a solid size and he’s shown some potential. During the 2023 season, Garbers played in 11 different games and made six different starts.
Against Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, Garbers threw a season-best 269 passing yards. Against the USC Trojans, Garbers managed to throw three touchdowns. And in the LA Bowl, Garbers was efficient, completing 9 of 12 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Boise State Broncos.
It’ll be interesting to see how he operates an offense that he gets to be the full time starter of. Assuming that’s how things play out, that is.
No. 2: J.Michael Sturdivant - Wide receiver
Catching passes is pretty important and it's a big deal for the UCLA Bruins to have someone prepped to help Garbers out on offense. That’s where J.Michael Sturdivant comes in. Sturdivant, a redshirt junior wide receiver, joined UCLA after transferring from California.
Last season, the 6-foot-3, 205 pound wide receiver quickly became a key playmaker for the Bruins offense. His combination of size and speed created mismatches against opposing secondaries and he was productive.
Sturdivant caught 36 passes, which was good for second-most on the Bruins last year. During that timeframe, he managed to average 16.58 yards per catch. That’s not that bad. On top of that, he’s caught a pass in 25 consecutive games.
No. 3: Jay Toia - Defensive lineman
While the Bruins were known for their offense under Chip Kelly, let’s take a look at the UCLA Defense for a moment. And that’s exactly where we’ll find Jay Toia, a senior defensive lineman, who brings noteworthy size to the Bruins’ defensive front. The 6-foot-3, 325 pound defensive lineman has the ability to really clog up running lanes given his size.
With the power that he adds to UCLA’s front seven, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of problems he can cause for opposing offensive lines.
Last season, Toia started in 12 games and recorded a season-high six tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack against the Arizona Wildcats. When facing Arizona State, Toia had five tackles. He’s big and could be a problem for folks this season.