Will Justyn Martin start at quarterback for UCLA? Five things to keep an eye on against Penn State

Come on down, Justyn Martin?

It increasingly looked like UCLA was finalizing preparations for a difficult challenge no matter who makes the first attack on the quarterback.

Barring a bold comeback from Ethan Garbers, his backup will make his first collegiate start Saturday at Beaver Stadium against No. 7 Penn State.

Garbers continued to rely on the home trainer during the week after missing last weekend's Bruins loss to Oregon with an unspecified injury, so his status for the game against the Nittany Lions is in question. Martin, a redshirt sophomore, hit the first ball in practice, and every rep was coveted for a player who threw all five passes in college.

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

It's the next man's turn

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

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

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

Running in place

UCLA running back TJ Harden ran for 53 yards against Oregon.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)

UCLA's quarterback will need significant help from an underperforming portion of the offense.

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

But there were some signs of progress last weekend against Oregon. TJ 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 the case for more carries.

Something has to change. The Bruins are averaging 57 yards 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've got to do a better job of releasing people who can make plays,” said Malloe, the Bruins' defensive coordinator, “and putting people on the field that I think can generate plays.” I think , you’ve only seen a glimpse 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 the double-teams to neutralize the Bruins' best defensive player.

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

The Bruins are looking for their first sack since scoring five goals in the season opener against Hawaii.

Start me

UCLA's energy level in practice has fluctuated wildly in recent weeks, with seemingly little correlation to the results.

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

The mood was once again subdued this week, with the silence at the start of training on Wednesday broken by a coach shouting an expletive as part of his efforts to revive the players.

When assessing his team's mindset after the Oregon game, Foster said it's what's done that matters, not what's said.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Foster said. “We need to change our approach on the field and hopefully this will fix some issues.”