UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin stood on the field of Penn State’s Beaver Stadium with his hands covering the holes in the sides of his helmet. The 110,047 fans in the stands were making it difficult for Martin to hear the play calls transmitted to him.
It was a baptism by fire for Martin in his first start as a Bruin, and yet he gave UCLA one of its best passing performances of the season by going 22-for-30 for 167 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in Saturday’s 27-11 Big Ten Conference loss. Martin even drew admiration from Penn State coach James Franklin.
“The moment didn’t seem too big for him,” Franklin told reporters after the game. “You’re talking about a big guy who can run, who is poised. I was impressed with that guy. I really was.”
UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster was pleased with Martin’s performance, but Ethan Garbers is still cemented in his position of starting quarterback.
“This is Ethan’s team,” Foster told reporters. “He’s our quarterback. I think that everybody has rallied behind him. The type of a player that Justyn is, I think that he’ll understand the situation”
Martin received the starting nod for Saturday’s game after Garbers was not seen actively practicing throughout the week. Martin, a 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore from Inglewood, received first team repetitions in preparation as Foster continued to evaluate the situation.
An advantage of playing Martin was that the limited film available on him made it more difficult for Penn State to gameplan. A potential disadvantage was the changes at offensive line heading into the game.
Reuben Unije did not travel with the team, which altered the lineup. Josh Carlin moved from center to right guard and Sam Yoon took over at center. Niki Prongos played right guard. The combination appeared to protect Martin well and allowed only two sacks a week after giving up four sacks against Oregon.
The offense also scored its first touchdown in 149 minutes and 36 seconds of game time, as a graphic on the FOX broadcast pointed out. That was in the second quarter of the LSU game on Sept. 21.
Martin fired off a one-yard pass to Logan Loya, who was making his return at receiver after playing solely special teams the week prior. The pair teamed up for a short pass that allowed the Bruins to convert on fourth down earlier in the drive.
“The biggest thing for us is to finish, no matter what the score is,” Martin said. “We didn’t come out here to lay over. We came out here to win and play until the last snap. That’s just not how I am as a person and that’s now how our team is.”
Foster said in the week leading up to the game that getting rid of the ball quickly would be paramount to Justyn’s success, but denied a simplification of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense for Martin’s benefit.
“I wouldn’t say we shortened the playbook,” Foster said, “but we called a little more of a quick game in situations just to help him get the ball out of his hands.”
LSU football coach Brian Kelly said that the quarterback is the straw that stirs every drink in college football when he addressed the media after the Tigers’ game against UCLA.
He was referring to his own quarterback but the phrase applies to the Bruins, too, as they now have two straws.
“(We know) that we have a backup quarterback that can play,” Foster said. “He was able to execute, and he did exactly what he did this week. He took command of the offense and just made plays. We need to build off this and, hopefully, we can build some momentum and get going.”
