Brian Kelly: Garrett Nussmeier 'changed the bar' with early performances

LSU head coach Brian Kelly likes what he has seen from starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier thus far. The junior has thrown for nearly 900 yards and has 10 touchdown passes through the first three games of the season.

While Kelly is pleased with Nussmeier’s start to the season, he acknowledged on The Paul Finebaum Show that he still has plenty to work on.

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Kelly joined Finebaum Monday afternoon and shared what the next steps are for Garrett Nussmeier.

“Well, pleased with a lot of things that he’s doing. But what he’s done is he’s changed the bar,” Brian Kelly said. “He has now put that bar really high, because he’s done so many good things. So now we can start talking about elevating where he is.”

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Part of what’s next for Nussmeier is cutting down on mistakes. He threw two interceptions on Saturday against South Carolina that were run back for touchdowns, although both plays were wiped out due to penalties. Still, they are plays he needs to not making moving forward.

“So we see that he’s got elite arm talent. He’s got the ability to do so many things. Now we have to get him to be an elite quarterback,” Kelly said. “It’s not just about arm talent. You know, it’s not about ‘I can fit it in anywhere and throw it in anywhere any time.’ We’ve gotta be able to do everything in terms of getting us in the right play, making the right decision, sometimes taking a sack. Zeros are OK. Zeros as a play are OK.”

Garrett Nussmeier has a huge arm, without a doubt. But that can sometimes get him into trouble when he tries to fit balls into small windows.

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Knowing when to take sacks, throw the ball away, etc. are important lessons quarterbacks must learn. Nussmeier is only in his first year as a starter, and Kelly expects him to continue to get better and better as the season goes along.

” I think just getting that knowledge and being more comfortable with that, that not every single play has to be a splash play,” Kelly said. “And that’s the development of our quarterback. He’s getting there and those are the things we’ll continue to work on.”

LSU is off to a 2-1 start to the season with a loss to USC and wins over Nicholls and South Carolina. Up next, the Tigers face UCLA on Saturday in Baton Rouge.