LOS ANGELES — UCLA wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. feels little to no difference in a pass regardless of who is throwing the ball.
“They’re all wired the same,” he said of the quarterbacks. “Everybody has different throwing forms but how the ball comes, where it’s placed, the timing, the drops for them – I just know it’s coming out on me.”
It’s still unclear who Flores might be catching passes from on Saturday at Penn State. Head coach DeShaun Foster still has not announced a decision on which quarterback will be starting.
Ethan Garbers, who has started every game this season, was not an active participant in practice during the media viewing period on Wednesday.
It marks the third consecutive day that Garbers was not practicing with the team.
“Ethan took a lot of mental reps today,” Foster said, “and hopefully, we’ll see what he can do tomorrow.”
The redshirt senior was seen on a stationary bike and walking gingerly around the inside of the Wasserman Center weight room wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a ball cap.
Foster indicated on Monday that Justyn Martin would be the starting quarterback if Garbers is unable to play in Saturday’s game at seventh-ranked Penn State (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten). Martin has been taking repetitions with the first-string offense throughout the week.
The Bruins (1-3, 0-2) will be going up against a Nittany Lions team that ranks No. 4 in the nation in total defense and gives up an average of 226.5 yards per game.
“He can’t hold on to the ball,” Foster said. “They have a really good D-line, so we can’t hold on to the football.
“And just make sure that he’s ready for the crowd noise because this would be his first time playing in that type of environment. I just keep mentioning to him it’s Inglewood (High School) against Morningside.”
Foster confirmed that Logan Loya will be back at receiver this week after previously playing on special teams against Oregon, which could help strengthen UCLA’s passing game. Flores has been the Bruins’ leading receiver through four games with 12 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown.
“(Justyn is) very confident in himself and as he should be,” Flores said. “We’re all in the same meetings and they get reps. They switch it in. It’s not just Garbs taking all the reps, everybody’s switching in different times of the day. So at the end of the day, he has every right to feel confident.”
Other injury updates
Multiple players participated in individual workouts on the field on Wednesday afternoon.
Tight end Hudson Habermehl, who suffered a torn ACL in early spring, was walking forward and backward pulling weights across the turf. Running back Troy Leigber, linebacker Donavyn Pellot and receiver Braden Pegan were each doing the same exercise.
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Current starting linebacker Kain Medrano was wearing a compression sleeve on his right leg during practice on Wednesday but did not appear to suffer an injury in any game or practice this season.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Croix Stewart and redshirt junior defensive lineman Jacob Busic were each seen inside Wasserman Center and not participating in practice during the media viewing period on Wednesday.
Busic did not play in UCLA’s last game against Oregon and Stewart recorded one tackle in the contest.
