“I got to play better.”
That was a choked-up Garrett Nussmeier’s simple, repeated answer to reporters directly after his brutal performance against Texas A&M. Asked about a range of topics from the game, the LSU quarterback’s response always circled back around to those same five words.
Nussmeier had three interceptions in the second half of the 38-23 loss, each uglier than the last. It was part of a team-wide unraveling that turned a 17-7 lead into a potentially season-defining loss.
Head coach Brian Kelly stood up for the redshirt junior after the game, insisting that the LSU offense needed to do more to support him. Nussmeier, though, took all the responsibility.
That’s his leadership style: he shoulders the entirety of the accountability and the blame. It’s something he takes pride in.
“I’ve embraced it… I love it. I’ve been waiting for it my whole life,” Nussmeier said of taking the leadership helm prior to the season. “The way you take control of the leadership of a team is by your play.”
Now, heading into a do-or-die matchup with Alabama in which the loser can almost certainly kiss the College Football Playoff and SEC contention goodbye, Nussmeier’s play must speak volumes. He and the LSU offense are seeking redemption.
LSU can’t afford another substandard performance at the quarterback position against Alabama.
“Part of it has to come from Garrett to understand, ‘I don’t have to make a play every time I’m out there,’” Kelly said.
Avoiding another avalanche of mistakes and getting back to the level of play Nussmeier has been at for much of the season is paramount for LSU to win and maintain its postseason hopes.
Nussmeier is plenty capable of captaining an electric offensive performance, despite a rough showing against A&M and a similarly uphill battle for much of the game against Ole Miss. Both were examples of the gunslinging mentality and propensity to throw into tight windows that coaches were always wary of with Nussmeier.
However, he’s still top-10 in the country in both passing yards and touchdowns. Throughout the season, his arm strength and accuracy has shined, particularly in the intermediate range over the middle of the field.
For his part, Nussmeier said his confidence hasn’t wavered over the last few weeks.
“I had to flush it,” Nussmeier said. “Now we’re focused on Alabama.”
Nussmeier won’t be the only one seeking redemption on Saturday.
The rushing attack that gave him little to no support in College Station and which has struggled all year will be looking for a bounce-back performance.
Kelly has again become the target of criticism as LSU has once more fallen in a crucial game, just like it did in its past three season openers, including the highly-anticipated matchup with USC this year. A win would go a long way toward silencing doubters.
The defense, too, will have an opportunity to show that it’s adjusted from two weeks ago. After being gashed by the quarterback run in the second half against Texas A&M, the unit will conveniently face perhaps the country’s most electric rushing quarterback in Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Saturday is a chance to demonstrate that the defense, which had been making significant strides until that breakdown, has learned from its mistakes.
The most important person on the field, though, is the quarterback.
All eyes will be on Nussmeier to see how he responds to the figurative punch to the gut that was his performance against Texas A&M.
