An opening season loss. A six-game winning streak. A field storm after defeating Ole Miss. A three-game losing streak. A promising recruit flipping his commitment to LSU.
The emotional rollercoaster of the 2024 season consisted of the highest highs and the lowest lows, but the regular season came to an end with a 37-17 win against Oklahoma.
Early in this game, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was hit hard to the ground, sacked by Sooner defender Mason Thomas. He went into the injury tent with a strain to the right arm – another setback to add to the list for LSU.
But as they did the entire season, LSU was resilient in the midst of misfortune. Nussmeier came back in and led the Tigers to their eighth win of the season. Even with an injury he ended the night with 277 yards and three touchdowns, completing 21 of 33 passes. He looked as consistent as ever.
“There was no way that I was going to watch the rest of that game from the sidelines and let those seniors go out without me playing,” Nussmeier said.
The key storyline of this game and the overall season was the ups and downs. LSU was a hard team to gauge, starting the season as a playoff contender and ending with four losses. But in the matchup against the Sooners, LSU wasn’t going to stop fighting to end the regular season on a high.
“Nobody in that (locker) room is happy about being 8-4,” Brian Kelly said. “What they’re happy about is that they played well after a three-game losing streak. They bounced back, and this game teaches you lessons about grit and toughness and perseverance and not giving up and letting go of the rope.”
With Oklahoma leading 14-10 in the second quarter, receiver Aaron Anderson changed the momentum for the Tigers. He returned a kickoff for 100 yards, giving LSU the lead. This was followed by a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Chris Hilton.
While many thought Nussmeier wouldn’t come back into the game, he did what he did all season: finish it out no matter what. He’s been at the head of this inconsistent season, but always fought when under immense pressure to pull this team out of despair.
“I told him there was no way I was sitting out,” Nussmeier said about talking to Kelly after the injury. “A lot of these guys have busted their butts for the last year and a lot of these seniors. LSU means everything to me. I bleed these colors no matter what anyone says about me.”
Struggling with a hurt arm didn’t stop Nussmeier in the slightest. He threw another 40-yard pass to Hilton in the third quarter, and LSU went up 31-17.
Weeks before at Florida, Brian Kelly was yelling at Hilton on the sideline; he was dropping passes and untimely on routes. But this week he had 85 receiving yards and beat out defensive backs for clutch catches.
“I’m happy for him; He got the game ball,” Kelly said. “He made two big plays and that’s part of the offense that we needed desperately.”
While the offense was creating opportunities to keep the lead, the Tiger defense did struggle against quarterback Jackson Arnold in the first half.
Throughout this season, a large part of LSU’s losses came from not being able to stop the rushing quarterback, and Arnold used his legs when there were no other options. He rushed for 75 yards and had a 28-yard run to put the Sooners at the goal line.
However, it didn’t matter because the defense was all over Oklahoma’s passing game, limiting Arnold’s options. LSU was also applying more pressure on Arnold, creating four quarterback hurries and four sacks.
The Tigers continued dominating into the fourth quarter, looking physical and aggressive on all fronts.
Neither team was playing for a championship appearance or playoff spot; however, a win is huge on rivalry weekend.
“What I’m happy about in the short term is the way our guys responded to adversity,” Kelly said. “That’s why I came in here and said I’m proud of our football team and the way they responded.”
With a new opponent to end its regular season instead of Texas A&M, LSU dominated after starting the game off slow. With it being Oklahoma’s first season in the conference, this rivalry is not as huge as many storied matchups, but it was still a classic SEC back-and-forth brawl.
LSU will finish out its season with a bowl game, and the opponent will be announced after the championship games conclude.