Expectations have not turned into reality this season for the LSU offense.
Ranking No. 14 in yards and points per game in the SEC, it’s been the catalyst for the Tigers’ disappointing 5-4 season.
The running game has been nonexistent in recent years, but the biggest surprise has been the lack of a passing attack from a team that was able to sling the ball around a year ago.
Last season, the country saw quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throw for over 4,000 yards for 29 touchdowns.
This year, he’s only at 1,927 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and has been benched in two games, including last week’s game against Alabama.
It was a humbling moment for the fifth-year senior, who debated whether to leave for the NFL Draft or come back for one more year after last season.
The tremendous arm talent and the ability to make big throws have not been on display, and it’s been hard to find the quarterback we once saw throw the ball with confidence and push the ball down the field without hesitation.
His attempts have gone down from last season, but that was the goal. Nussmeier and the rest of the passing offense made up for the lack of a run game last year, but this year, the expectations were to take some of the weight off his shoulders and improve the offense as a whole, especially on the run.
The running game continues to be a problem, though, even with running backs such as Harlem Barry and Caden Durham, and now, with the lack of a consistent passing attack, the offense can’t capitalize on its defense.
Over the last 10 seasons, Nussmeier’s performance this season ranks last among LSU quarterbacks in completion rate for passes of 10 yards or more downfield at 42.3% after the game against Texas A&M.
He ranks lower than less-talented quarterbacks such as Danny Etling, TJ Finley and Max Johnson. His 2024 season wasn’t drastically better at 45.3%, but even watching him, you can see a difference.
Nussmeier has been dealing with injuries all year long, from the viral patellar tendinitis that took place in early August to his nagging abdominal injury that he reaggravated on Thursday during practice.
If you don’t feel good physically, it’s hard to feel good when you go out there on the field. The lack of velocity on his throws and his mobility were conspicuous and affected games.
Plays where he could’ve had a touchdown if he’d thrown it in stride slipped away, and, given the team’s pressure and talent on the roster, the offense was being held back.
His comfort level has changed, both physically and mentally.
Last year, Nussmeier was the classic gunslinger. A quarterback who thought he could make any throw, no matter how small the window. He didn’t second-guess himself, and once he thought someone was open, the ball was out of his hand.
But that’s what got him in trouble so much a year ago.
Nussmeier finished the season with 12 interceptions, tying for third among quarterbacks. His decision making was questionable at times, particularly the three-interception game against the Aggies last year that sparked the season’s downward spiral.
When he faced off against Alabama last year, one of his two interceptions came at a crucial time when LSU could’ve changed the momentum of the game.
Plays like those have an effect, especially with a passionate fan base like LSU. When you make a mistake, you’re going to hear about it.
Those moments began to build up, and everyone knew that Nussmeier’s decision making was rough around the edges. Spectators wanted to see a change in his play style.
Through eight games last year, he threw nine interceptions, but this year he’s only at five. However, he also had over 2,600 yards and 20 touchdowns by this time.
He’s not playing with the same confidence and is playing more cautiously. He’s not taking down the field shots as much, or throwing across the middle in hopes of limiting the turnovers.
While it may be working in that aspect, it’s shown to be more harmful than helpful in other areas.
During the game last week, before he was benched, he completed 18 of his 21 pass attempts for 121 yards.
On paper, it’s nowhere near bad, but watching the game, he missed open targets, stopped the clock on an incompletion that allowed Alabama to score, and took a bad sack at the end of the second quarter.
“I think he enjoys those things when it comes to waggles, boots and nakeds, and he thrives on it,” interim head coach Frank Wilson said. “It allows him to naturally, in style of play, throw on a run, which is a little different from drop back, and then scramble, because it’s a part of, I believe, his repertoire.”
With three games left, LSU will explore the option of playing backup quarterback Michael Van Buren, especially with the fact that Nussmeier has aggravated his abdominal injury again.
But still, the faith has not been completely lost, and during these last few games, Nussmeier is still in a position to thrive.
“He can do those things naturally,” Wilson said, “and it happens, It flows for him. He’s done it. As he says to me, ‘I’ve been doing that since I came out of the womb.’”
