Playing behind a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback requires patience. 

It’s like seeing someone you know get to drive a fancy car many times, but you only get to drive it once in a while.

For LSU football’s Garrett Nussmeier and USC’s Miller Moss, the times behind the wheel have been sparse.

“It wasn’t his car. He was driving that thing fast, and he didn’t care if he dented it,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “It’s his car now, and he’s really careful that he doesn’t mess it up.”

But now, after several years of patience, both finally have the keys to the car.

The two quarterbacks got time to shine in their respective bowl games last season before becoming full-time starters.

In LSU’s win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Nussmeier stole the show, completing 31 of 45 attempts for 395 yards and three touchdowns.

“I think Garrett Nussmeier is going to be one of the all-time sleepers in college football this year,” Nick Saban said on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday.

For Moss, it was the same tale, as he put the nation on notice with 23 completions on 33 attempts for 372 yards and six touchdowns.

To say there was lots building up to those moments would be an understatement.

Nussmeier came to LSU as a four-star recruit out of Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. He backed up Max Johnson his true freshman season, where he appeared in four games.

In LSU’s 16-13 overtime loss to Arkansas in 2021, Nussmeier replaced Johnson to potentially provide a spark. He completed 18 of his 31 pass attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown. 

However, the at-the-time true freshman quarterback threw an interception to put Arkansas in a position to win the game. And that the Razorbacks did, as a 37-yard field goal from Arkansas’ Cam Little sealed the win.

“He understands that he can’t put the ball in the other team’s hands,” Kelly said. “I just think it’s being a starter, understanding how important it is and recognizing that taking care of the football is absolutely crucial to our success.”

Nussmeier came back to LSU after his true-freshman season, and Johnson opted to take his career to Texas A&M. 

But when Johnson went out, Jayden Daniels came in.

With his valuable experience at Arizona State and considerable production there, Daniels was named the starter after a fall camp competition.

As Daniels made his transition into the LSU system over time, Nussmeier stayed ready. For his sophomore season, he appeared in eight games, including LSU’s SEC Championship loss to Georgia.

In that 50-30 loss to the Bulldogs, Nussmeier completed 15 of 27 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 11 of 15 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns in LSU’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over Purdue.

Daniels was set to return to LSU for the 2023 season, and some LSU fans thought Nussmeier may decide to enter the transfer portal; his time was running out, and his sample size of playing time was small.

But he stayed, and he continued to wait for his number to be called.

This past season, Nussmeier appeared in five regular season games, including LSU’s 42-28 loss to Alabama.

However, when Daniels opted out of the Tigers’ bowl game amid his efforts of preparing for the NFL Draft, Nussmeier’s number was called.

“Having a quarterback that has been in the system for the last couple of years, that knows what it looks like, what it’s like to be in an SEC battle, and has played in a game against a pretty darn good defense,” Kelly said. “Those things make you feel a little bit more at ease going into these games.”

It was an opportunity he waited almost three years for and an opportunity to solidify his future as LSU’s next starting quarterback. And he took it and ran with it.

Miller Moss spent his freshman season as USC’s third-string quarterback, backing up Kedon Slovis, now with the Indianapolis Colts, and Jaxson Dart, now with Ole Miss. He appeared in just one game, completing 8 of his 13 pass attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Similarly to Nussmeier, when Slovis and Dart both transferred, Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, came in.

During Williams’ standout season in 2022 and his struggles to defend his trophy in 2023, Moss was there to witness it all, mostly from the sidelines. He appeared in three games in 2022 and another four games in 2023.

Like Daniels, Williams chose to sit out USC’s bowl game. And when it was Moss’ turn, he took advantage.

For both Nussmeier and Moss, lots of patience, faith and trust led to Sunday’s matchup in Las Vegas. 

It’s very fitting that, in almost parallel experiences, the two quarterbacks will meet with one another when it’s finally their turn to drive their cars and lead their teams. 

And now, while they’ll appreciate the effort it took to get there, they’re ready to get on the road and start driving.