During the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Oklahoma, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier seemed to have a shoulder injury and made his way to the locker room.
It seemed unlikely that the redshirt junior gunslinger would make it back to the field, but he did, and he finished with 277 yards and three touchdowns.
Chris Hilton, a junior wide receiver, caught two of those touchdown throws for big plays, and the two eventually developed a deep-ball connection.
Brian Kelly, the head coach, commended Nussmeier for his “grit and toughness” in the match against the Sooners.
For most people, that’s a simple tap-out, Kelly stated. Saying, ‘I’m not coming back,’ is an easy one, but that’s the type of player he is. He is a competitor of that nature.
Kelly and Nussmeier acknowledged the buzz surrounding the program after the victory, citing everything from LSU’s three-game losing streak in the middle of the season to the recruiting trail.
The Tigers persevered through the mayhem, finishing the 2024 regular season with two victories in Death Valley and waiting to be selected for the bowl game.
“You want them to buckle down, put on their mouthguard, and go out there and play when they’re being discussed in the same way that they have been for the last two to three weeks,” Kelly stated. “They did that, and he [Nussmeier] did that as well.”
For a number of LSU seniors, Saturday was their last home game, so Nussmeier was even more motivated to come back and help “send these seniors out on the right note.”
Nussmeier remarked, “I wanted to be out here for these guys.” These seniors will be missed. These colors hold great significance for me, as does LSU. Sitting there and witnessing some of my teammates play their final game without me was unthinkable.
