Garrett Nussmeier says he won't let USC loss derail LSU's season
Statistically, quarterback Garrett Nussmier had a fantastic outing to start the 2024 season, passing for 304 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-38 passing. However, Nussmeier’s offense fell flat in the second half, losing to USC 27-20 on Sunday night.
The offense ended the game with just six points on three trips inside the 15 and was largely inefficient running the ball. There was a lack of explosiveness and overall playmaking that left the Tigers looking for answers.
“I can’t answer that right now without seeing the tape,” Nussmeier said of the struggles. “We’ll get back in the building, watch the tape and move on. We have 11 more weeks to play in this regular season and that’s what we’re focused on.
“It sucks. We wanted to come out and get the win, but it will also be a very good learning experience for this team to help us get to where we want to go this year. Two years ago we lost week one and were in the SEC Championship and in contention for the playoff and that’s where we see ourselves. One loss doesn’t change that.”
Despite an overwhelmingly positive performance, Nussmeier had his share of mistakes in the loss, missing a couple of key throws late in the game. Along with Kyren Lacy and Mason Taylor, Aaron Anderson was the player who stepped up, ending with 64 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.
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“Aaron [Anderson] really stepped up and made some plays that were big in big moments,” Nussmeier said. “I should have hit him on that second down, that’s something that’s going to stay with me for another six days until I get to play again. I’ll be thinking of that play for a long time.”
Nussmeier refuses to overreact to one loss, knowing what’s still in front of them this season, however, it’s certainly a wake up call for this team to step up and places immediate urgency on the Tigers for the rest of the year.
“It’s a long season, so you can’t get caught up. It sucks obviously. 24 hour rule. We’ll watch the tape, get better and focus on Nicholls. We got 11 more weeks of play and then after that. But the focus right now is to stick together. We have a really good team and a really deep team, we just need to take our opportunities, step on their throat when we had a chance to put the game away and we didn’t do it. That’s the focus is to stay together and get better.”
LSU has a favorable schedule coming up with games against Nicholls State next week followed by South Carolina, UCLA, and South Alabama, giving them plenty of time to improve before a key home game against Ole Miss on Oct. 12.
