The LSU Tigers’ latest outing ended once again in defeat, this time against the Texas A&M Aggies, another title contender. The standout moment of the game came when Brian Kelly decided to pull Garrett Nussmeier, who was visibly frustrated by the sequence.
Kelly was one of the main protagonists of the day, not only for the striking decision to bench his star player, but also for the exchanges he had with some of his players and even high-ranking members of the program.
“Well, I would’ve been disappointed too,” the HC said on pulling Nussmeier. “If you took me out of the game in that situation, I would have been disappointed too, but it was a bigger picture. We were struggling in protection.
“I thought it would have been unfair to have him in the game, under those circumstances, with where the game was clearly out of reach. To have him get injured in that situation, I thought would have been malpractice from my standpoint.”
A painful defeat
The LSU Tigers’ season has officially reached crisis point following a disastrous second-half collapse in their 49-25 home loss to the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies. The defeat, which effectively ends any College Football Playoff hopes, has intensified scrutiny on Head Coach Brian Kelly.
While his contract carries an enormous buyout, the mounting losses—the third in four games—have critics questioning whether Kelly can meet the demanding championship standard in Baton Rouge. Fans are openly calling for a change, putting the athletic department in an immediate and unenviable dilemma regarding the future of their high-profile coach.
Is Nussmeier a Heisman Trophy contender?
Despite entering the season as a Heisman frontrunner, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s campaign for college football’s most prestigious award has been all but extinguished. After the 49-25 rout by Texas A&M, the senior’s individual stats no longer carry the weight needed, given the team’s three losses.
While he still boasts a solid completion percentage (66.4%), his 1,638 passing yards and 11 touchdowns through eight games are significantly behind the national leaders, and his five interceptions are one too many for a candidate.