Garrett Nussmeier – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Instant recap: LSU defeats Oklahoma in regular season finale

LSU finished the regular season strong with a 37-17 win over Oklahoma

In the final game of the 2024 regular season, LSU overcame a slow start and a brief injury to its quarterback to beat Oklahoma 37-17.

Despite leaving the game with a shoulder injury at the end of the first quarter, LSU gunslinger [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] returned near the end of the half and led LSU on a touchdown drive.

The redshirt junior finished with 277 passing yards and three touchdowns.

After connecting with Kyren Lacy for a game-opening touchdown, Nussmeier fumbled the ball and the Sooners returned it to tie the game.

The Tigers reclaimed the lead with just over seven minutes left in the first half when Aaron Anderson took a kickoff to the house, making the score 17-14. LSU never trailed following Anderson’s tally and held Oklahoma scoreless in the second half.

Nussmeier found wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. for two scores with passes over 40 yards. The first, a 40-yard strike, gave the Tigers a seven-point lead heading into the locker room. The duo picked up where they left off with under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter as Hilton hauled in a 45-yard pass and found the end zone.

Damian Ramos nailed all three of his field goal attempts. He made a 34-yard kick in the second quarter to give LSU a three-point edge along with two in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

LSU’s defense combined for four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Freshman defensive tackle Dominick McKinley totaled two sacks and two tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks led the Tigers with 15 tackles, including nine solo.

The Tigers finish the season with an 8-4 record and await their bowl game selection.

Oklahoma Sooners lose finale 37-17 to the LSU Tigers

The Oklahoma Sooners offense stagnated and the defense gave up a number of big plays in their 37-17 loss to the LSU Tigers.

There was a lot of optimism heading into the Bayou as the Oklahoma Sooners were looking to build off of a strong performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 13. But the LSU Tigers put together an impressive performance on offense and the Sooners weren’t able to respond in a 37-17 loss to the close the 2024 regular season.

The Oklahoma Sooners deferred to start the game and forced a punt on LSU’s opening drive of the game. But the Sooners offense struggled to get going and LSU was able to make something happen on their second drive of the game when Garrett Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy for an 18-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma punted the ball back on their next possession, but with LSU facing a third-and-10, Gracen Halton created pressure up the middle and as Garrett Nussmeier attempted to elude the rush, Halton swiped the ball away and R Mason Thomas recovered it and returned it for a game-tying score.

After the two teams traded punts, the game looked like it might turn in OU’s favor when Thomas beat projected first-round pick Will Campbell around the edge and hit Nussmeier, who landed hard on his throwing shoulder. But a big run from Caden Durham set up an LSU field goal to give them the 10-7 lead.

Oklahoma answered right back, though, as Jackson Arnold connected with J.J. Hester for a 50-yard strike to get the Sooners offense going. Arnold then picked up 28 yards on the ground, and Xavier Robinson punched it in for the two-yard score to give the Sooners a 14-10 lead.

But the lead was short-lived as Aaron Anderson took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Though OU answered with a field goal, the momentum was clearly in the hands of the Tigers.

Nussmeier returned to the game with just over two minutes remaining in the half, and after a few short passes to get the ball moving, the LSU quarterback hit Chris Hilton Jr. for a 40-yard touchdown with Eli Bowen in coverage.

Oklahoma elected to run out the clock to end the first half trailing 24-17.

The second half saw the Sooners punt on their opening possession. The Tigers then found another big pass play as Nussmeier connected with Hilton for another score, this time a 45-yard strike and again with Bowen in coverage.

That put the Sooners in a position they didn’t want to be in, forced to throw down multiple scores, and Arnold couldn’t create enough in the passing game to move the football. The LSU Tigers’ pass rush was simply able to tee off at that point with little concern for the Sooners’ passing attack.

And with that, the Oklahoma Sooners first season in the SEC ends with a whimper. There was a lot of hope after Oklahoma earned a big win over Alabama a week ago, but outside of the quarterback run game, the Sooners offense was back to their inconsistent ways.

Robinson suffered a groin injury during the game but he and the offensive line weren’t nearly as good this week as they were a year ago. The LSU Tigers defense held the Sooners to 277 total yards, with 167 coming on the ground. 75 of those rushing yards came from Arnold.

Through the air, Arnold was 14 of 21 for 110 yards in the loss. 50 of those yards came on the deep ball to Hester. Otherwise, Arnold had just 60 passing yards on his other 20 attempts, or just three yards per attempt.

For the game, LSU put up 395 total yards and were 8-of-17 on third and fourth down. Nussmeier, who battled back from the shoulder injury finished the game 22 of 31 for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

This wasn’t at all the performance that many were expecting after how well OU played a week ago against Alabama. But LSU provided a different challenge and Oklahoma couldn’t keep up with their passing attack.

The Sooners close the season 6-6 and have a lot of questions they’ll have to answer on the offensive side of the ball.

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Sooners Wire Staff Predictions or Oklahoma vs. LSU Tigers in Week 14

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma vs. LSU Tigers in Week 14.

The Oklahoma Sooners put themselves in a position to clinch a winning season as they get ready to go on the road to face the LSU Tigers. Prior to the bye week, OU was looking like a team that would finish 5-7 and miss bowl season for the first time since 1998.

But the Sooners put together a strong gameplan to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 13 behind a dominant performance in the run game and on the defensive side of the ball.

Now, they go to Baton Rouge to take on an LSU Tigers team that fell out of College Football Playoff contention with a three-game losing streak over the last month. LSU snapped it with a win over Vanderbilt, but it was hardly a dominating performance.

Can the Sooners finish the regular season on a high note and win back-to-back games for the first time since starting SEC play? Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Both of these teams have their flaws, and both of them have things that they do well.

The key for the OU defense will be in the secondary. If they can avoid getting beat deep by LSU’s stable of excellent wideouts, they’ve got a chance.

The Tigers have seen the film from what the Oklahoma offense did last week, and they’ll certainly stack the box and force Jackson Arnold to push the ball downfield, something he hasn’t proven capable of doing against SEC competition.

The gameplan for OU is similar to a week ago. Run the ball, shorten the game, keep everything in front of you, and force some turnovers. That’s the recipe for a low-scoring game with a ton of weight on the shoulders of the Oklahoma defense.

Oklahoma 17, LSU 13

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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Pages: 12

How Garrett Nussmeier’s QBR compares to Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels

Can Garrett Nussmeier follow the same path of Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow?

[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], and [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] all took over the LSU starting job in their fourth year of college football.

The paths there were different. Daniels arrived after starting three years at Ohio State. Burrow transferred in after serving as the backup at Ohio State. And Nussmeier waited his turn at LSU.

Daniels and Burrow both went on to win the Heisman trophy, but year one wasn’t smooth sailing. Similar to Nussmeier’s first go this fall, Daniels and Burrow displayed flashes but were inconsistent.

Some LSU fans have questioned whether Nussmeier is the answer at QB, so let’s see how his 2024 QBR compares to what Daniels and Burrow posted in their first year starting at LSU.

Nussmeier 2024 QBR: 78.2
Daniels 2022 QBR: 77.2
Burrow 2018 QBR: 78.4

QBR is a stable stat. It’s generally good at predicting future performance. Nussmeier’s QBR remains a positive indicator of the jump he can take if he elects to return for a fifth year.

Burrow and Daniels both took their games to another level after returning for year five.

Daniels 2024 QBR: 95.7
Burrow 2019 QBR: 94.9

Nussmeier doesn’t need to post the QBR totals of Daniels and Burrow in 2025. Those are some of the best marks we’ve ever seen.

But if Nussmeier can get anywhere in the ballpark, he’ll be a top-five QB in the SEC.

Brian Kelly “hopeful” Garrett Nussmeier will return in 2025

Brian Kelly discussed the chances of Nussmeier returning in 2025

Brian Kelly’s radio show came early this week with Thanksgiving on Thursday. Kelly spoke to media and fans on Monday night where the topic of player retention came up.

A key name to watch as the season nears a close is QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier.[/autotag] The redshirt junior can declare for the draft or opt to return for a fifth year. According to Kelly, there’s hope that Nussmeier returns in 2025.

“We’re gonna have retention with players that are really gonna help this football team, and one of them is the quarterback that we’re talking about,” Kelly said.

“I’m hopeful that (Nussmeier’s) gonna make a decision that he comes back. He has not told me that he is but I’m hopeful that he makes that decision. If he does, I think it’s going to put our program in a really good position,” Kelly said.

Nussmeier’s 2024 has been up and down, but the physical tools are there. If he entered the draft, he’d certainly draw attention from NFL teams.

However, if Nussmeier returns, he can play his way into a much better draft slot.

LSU has good luck with QBs returning for a fifth year. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels both won the Heisman trophy after coming back for year five.

On the show, Kelly specifically mentioned the development of Daniels and thinks we’re seeing a similar maturation process from Nussmeier.

In his first year as a starter, Nussmeier ranks second in the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns, though turnovers are an issue at times.

Nussmeier and LSU are set to finish the regular season against Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Tigers notch bounce back win over Vanderbilt

LSU beat Vanderbilt on Saturday night. Who’s stock is going up for LSU?

Coming into tonight’s game against Vanderbilt, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers needed a win in the worst way. They got exactly what they needed in a close game against the Commodores.

The LSU offense showed signs of life for the first time in nearly three weeks as they put up more yards through the air and on the ground than [autotag]Diego Pavia[/autotag] and the Vandy offense.

Tonight, we got to see the Tigers break out a new uniform combination. The Tigers wore gold jerseys with purple numbers. I am on the fence about these uniforms so we’ll stick to what happened on the field here. I will leave that up to you to decide.

Let’s look at the players who saw their stock rise or fall in this game.

Stock Up: Josh Williams

It is great to see [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] scoring touchdowns for the Tigers. He finished the night as the leading rusher for LSU with 14 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Stock Up: Tigers get back in the win column

You guys know as well as I do that LSU needed a win in the worst way in this game. They got it by fighting off a tough Vandy team.

Stock Up: Garrett Nussmeier

Speaking of getting back on track, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] was very efficient in the win over the Commodores. He finished the game 28-for-37 throwing for 332 yards and a touchdown.

Stock Down: Inability to create turnovers

Although LSU won the game, the Tiger’s defense was unable to force any interceptions or fumbles by Vandy. The only turnover for the Commodores was a turnover on downs.

Stock Up: The offense has life

As it turns out, the LSU offense still has the ability to put up some points. The Tigers outgained Vandy 332-186 through the air and 139-122 on the ground.

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Where does LSU go after Bryce Underwood flipped to Michigan?

What’s next for LSU after losing Bryce Underwood to Michigan?

Flip season comes for everyone eventually and on Thursday night it came for LSU football in the worst way possible. The nation’s top overall prospect, QB Bryce Underwood, flipped from the Tigers and opted to commit to Michigan, the hometown team.

The move came as Michigan put together a strong NIL offer and LSU struggled on the field. But we’re not here to pinpoint why LSU lost Underwood. We’re not here to play the blame game.

Let’s just look at where LSU goes from here — in the current recruiting class and on the field in 2025.

Underwood provided LSU with a safety net if current LSU starter [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] declared for the NFL Draft. Now, LSU must keep Nussmeier in the fold for 2025.

That’s looking more likely after Nussmeier’s struggles in recent weeks. After a strong first seven games, Nussmeier was climbing NFL draft boards but the heat has since cooled.

If Nussmeier leaves, LSU is left with three scholarship QBs on the roster. There’s AJ Swann, who has starting experience from his time at Vanderbilt. Ricky Collins, a former blue-chip, will be entering year three. Colin Hurley is there too after arriving a year early this fall.

Hurley is too young to compete for the starting spot and Swann didn’t offer much promise at Vanderbilt. There’s optimism surrounding Collins, but he arrived as a talented but raw player, and you can’t put all your eggs in that basket.

LSU would be forced to go hunting in the portal if Nussmeier declares. In that scenario, LSU needs to go all out and find the next big thing. If there’s a Jayden Daniels or Cam Ward out there, LSU needs to land that player.

But the Underwood recruitment proved LSU doesn’t have the resources to go out and get whoever they want, so the reliable path is ensuring Nussmeier returns.

As for the 2025 class, there’s not much out there. The vast majority of QB prospects worth LSU’s time are already committed. LSU was locked in with Underwood, so the staff didn’t spend the last year building relationships with other QBs.

There was no backup plan — nobody thought there needed to be.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see LSU go after a young transfer QB. We’ve seen coveted players take chances on schools, even if it meant potentially sitting for a year.

LSU will do its best to sell a transfer on the success of previous portal additions like [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]. That’s all LSU can do at this point.

Where Garrett Nussmeier ranks in ESPN QBR and PFF passing grade

Where does ESPN’s QBR rank Garrett Nussmeier in 2024? Is he a top 10 QB in the SEC?

LSU QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] has seen highs and lows in 2024.

The early part of the schedule was good for the Tigers’ QB, highlighted by leading LSU to an upset win over Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium. The last three games haven’t been as kind.

Nussmeier threw three interceptions in the second half vs. Texas A&M, followed it up with a rough outing vs. Alabama and was inconsistent again in LSU’s loss to Florida.

The entire offense is struggling right now and Nussmeier is not immune to it.

Where does that leave Nussmeier on the year?

ESPN’s QBR and PFF’s passing grade are two reliable metrics when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks. I know numbers like these can be confusing to fans because it’s not always clear what exactly goes into them, but both ratings are meant to measure a quarterback’s performance in a stable and predictable way.

These stats have proven value when it comes to how a player will perform in the future.

Nussmeier’s QBR: 77.6

National Rank: 16th
SEC Rank: 5th

Nussmeier’s PFF passing grade: 76.9

National Rank: 43rd
SEC rank: 8th

Both numbers align with what we’ve seen with our eyes. A QBR that ranks 16th nationally indicates the tough schedule Nussmeier’s faced but speaks to what he’s done when he’s put it all together.

The PFF grade is more reflective of the inconsistent play but again offers optimism. Among first-time starters in the SEC, only Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava has a better grade.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Tigers get bitten in the Swamp

LSU’s offensive line struggled and the Tigers fell flat in the fourth quarter as LSU dropped one on the road

Last weekend, the LSU Tigers were embarrassed at home by the Alabama Crimson Tide. I was curious how the Tigers would respond this week as they hit the road to take on the Florida Gators.

The Gators entered the game with a losing record and have been trying to find who their starting quarterback will be. With the questions Florida faced, I thought LSU would come out with a spirited performance and take care of business. I was wrong.

Tonight, we witnessed the LSU offensive line give up seven sacks to the Gators’ defense. [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] never got going and the offense only got into the endzone once as Florida won this one 27-16.

Stock Down: Offensive Line

The vaunted LSU offensive line gave up SEVEN sacks to the Florida Gators in the Swamp. The Tigers offense has been struggling as it is and this only compounded the problem.

Stock Down: Bad rebound after losing to Bama

LSU got embarrassed on their home turf by Alabama last weekend so Tiger fans were looking for a good response from this team and coaching staff. Needless to say, they did not get what they asked for.

Stock Down: Garrett Nussmeier

Nussmeier has not been playing at his highest level for the past three games. He struggled again tonight going 27-for-47 for 260 yards and only one touchdown. He could never get in a rhythm.

Stock Down: No 10-win season

With the Tigers’ loss to Florida, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will not win 10 games for the eighth season in a row. This loss also killed the hopes of LSU playing for the conference championship.

Stock Down: 4th quarter disaster

Going into the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 13. The Gators would go on to outscore LSU 14-3 in the final quarter to pull away with a 27-16 victory.

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Brian Kelly hints at big performance from Garrett Nussmeier vs. Florida

LSU head coach Brian Kelly is expecting a big performance from QB Garrett Nussmeier this week

LSU QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] is looking to get back on track after a rough two-game stretch. The LSU starter has thrown five interceptions in his last six quarters of football and only Georgia’s Carson Beck has more picks on the year.

Brian Kelly spoke to the media on Thursday and said Nussmeier was dialed in all week, hinting at a big performance from Nussmeier when LSU travels to face the Florida Gators in week 12.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with (Nussmeier) this week,” Kelly said, “I think he’s been thoughtful, intentional, he’s taken leadership. I just like the way he’s locked in this week.”

Kelly said, in his experience, when a QB is this locked in, you want to tune in.

The LSU head coach remains confident in his QB amid the rough patch. Kelly isn’t one to make grand declarations unless he believes it’ll come to fruition on Saturday.

Florida’s defense provides LSU a chance to get back on track. The Gator’s defense will have the benefit of a home crowd, but the secondary is one of the worst in the country when it comes to allowing explosive plays through the air.

“He’s gonna have a heck of a game,” Kelly said.