LSU Country

LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier Shows "Growth," Leads Improbable Overtime Win

Nussmeier shined when the lights were brightest, propels the Bayou Bengals to a Top 10 victory in Death Valley.

Zack Nagy

Courtesy of LSU Football.
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LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier's story in Baton Rouge added a new chapter on Saturday night after lifting No. 13 LSU to a Top 10 victory over Ole Miss.

It wasn't the start Nussmeier anticipated having, but the redshirt-junior proved it's not about how a player starts, rather it's how they finish.

Nussmeier ended the day with a 43% completion rate after a shaky first three quarters, but once the final frame rolled around, it was showtime.

He led the Tigers down the field with under two minutes left, and after converting on back-to-back fourth downs, Nussmeier found Aaron Anderson in the end-zone to push the game to overtime.

From there, all momentum was in the palm of the Tigers' hands with Nussmsier connecting with Kyren Lacy for the game-winning touchdown in the extra frame.

But Nussmeier was candid about his performance. It wasn't the complete game he was looking to have, but it provided a learning experience for the signal-caller who now has seven starts under his belt.

"I probably had one of the worst games in my career tonight," said Nussmeier, who attempted 16 passes of 20 or more yards. "The best part about that is how I get to learn from it, and we got the win. I'm excited to get in the film room and fix those things and correct the mistakes. Hopefully, this will be a huge growth moment for me."

LSU head coach Brian Kelly praised his quarterback's gutsy performance. He wasn't perfect, but made the timely plays down the stretch to propel the Bayou Bengals to a critical SEC victory.

"He grew more today than any time that he's been here," Kelly said. "That was a growth game for him, and you may see it differently, but as a coach, the growth that he was able to exhibit through that game and at the end, is going to serve him well."

Nussmeier has the ability to tune out the noise. He doesn't get rattled when he makes a poor decision. Instead, the poised signal-caller goes back to the drawing board and learns from his mistakes.

"It would have been easier for us to be frustrated, those who watched the game, but Garrett wasn't frustrated, and what we saw at the end was why I thought it was a great growth game," Kelly said. "He made the plays when he needed to make them."

When the lights were brightest with the Tigers down by three in overtime, Nussmeier found his top target in Kyren Lacy for the game-winning touchdown.

The Nussmeier-Lacy connection has been on full display this season with no completion bigger than the winner on Saturday night.

"Nuss played a helluva game," Lacy said. "He comes in every single day, he doesn't cut any corners in the weight room, he gets on my ass when I try to skip a rep. We've got each other's back no matter what. ... I love my brother."

No. 13 LSU captured a momentum shifting win on Saturday night over No. 9 Ole Miss to remain alive in the College Football Playoff conversation. Now, all focus shifts to Week 8 with a date against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville.

More LSU News:

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Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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