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Breaking down all 11 Nussmeier interceptions

Nov 11, 2024 | 9:53 AM

By Hunt Palmer

From the time he set foot on campus, Garrett Nussmeier garnered the ‘gunslinger’ moniker.

He’s got a live arm and has shown the confidence to throw the ball down the field since his early snaps as a Tiger. As a freshman and sophomore, that confidence bordered on recklessness at times. Other times it was simply required. His insertions into the SEC Championship game against Georgia and the second half at Alabama last season necessitated throw after throw. LSU was down multiple scores in both spots.

Entering 2024, Nussmeier’s first season as the starter, questions rightly arose concerning Nussmeier’s ability to take care of the ball. Over the last month, he has not.

With three weeks to play, Nussmeier has thrown 11 interceptions, one fewer than SEC-leading Carson Beck. Let’s dive into all 11 and see what we can discern.

  1. The first interception of Nussmeier’s season was inconsequential. LSU trailed USC by seven with eight seconds left. They had to go 75 yards. Before Mason Taylor came out of his break, Nussmeier fired. USC had eyes on it, and picked it off. No big deal.

 

  1. Interception No. 2 on the year was a decision error. LSU was in the red zone looking to take the lead at South Carolina, and Nussmeier made a poor read. South Carolina dropped into a zone coverage on 3rd and 11. Nussmeier thought he had Kyren Lacy 1-on-1. He did not. Nick Emmanwori dropped underneath the route and easily picked it off.

 

  1. Nussmeier was picked off twice by South Alabama in what now looks like the start of the turnover issues. Through the first four games, he had only thrown one bad interception. It’s been a steady stream since. On the first of the night, LSU was up 35-3 with :28 left to play in the half. Nussmeier stepped up in the pocket and moved to his right under zero pressure. He fired for what he thought was a wide-open Aaron Anderson down the sideline, but the throw was well short and right of Anderson. And it probably didn’t have enough air under it. Lardarius Webb Jr. drifted back and made the routine pick.

 

  1. Interception two against the Jaguars was in a 35-10 game with 8:15 left in the third quarter. Nussmeier sat back in a clean pocket and zipped one toward an in-breaking Lacy. He never saw the safety. Jaden Voisin read his eyes and stepped in front of the throw for the pick.

 

  1. This is the first interception of the year forced by pressure. Just eight minutes into a scoreless game, Ole Miss pressured Nussmeier. He made a defensive throw that got tipped into the air twice and intercepted by the Rebels.

 

  1. LSU had just picked Jaxson Dart off in the endzone to keep the Ole Miss lead at 20-16 Rebels with 11:02 to play in the fourth quarter. There was a little pressure on Nussmeier as he released the ball, but the pass was just a floater into double coverage. It was a decision error more than anything. At that point in the game, that throw can’t be made.

 

  1. After an interception-free game in Fayetteville, the turnover bug bit hard in College Station. The first one was the most egregious. LSU was in control, up 17-7. Nussmeier was flushed out of the pocket on 3rd and 2. He should have thrown the ball away. Instead, he floated the ball back into the middle of the field where B.J. Mayes intercepted it and ran it back into the red zone.

 

 

  1. Inside a minute to play in the third quarter, Nussmeier missed a read. He thought he had Anderson on a short out route. Mayes undercut it and made the easy catch for interception No. 2 on the night.

 

  1. It was bordering on desperation time at this point. LSU trailed by 12 with 6:33 left, and the Aggie pass rush was humming. Nussmeier was pretty well protected at first. A looping rusher came free, and Nussmeier went to check the ball down to Caden Durham. Linebacker Taurean York read it and dropped right underneath the late throw. Once again, Nussmeier never saw him.

 

  1. Same story on Saturday night against Alabama. The first interception was just a back-breaker It was 2nd and goal from the five. A touchdown makes it a one-score game with just under nine minutes to go in the third. Nussmeier just didn’t read the zone coverage well enough. Deontae Lawson came off of Trey’dez Green and into the path of CJ Daniels. Easy interception.

 

  1. LSU was cooked by this point. The score was 35-6 with under eight minutes left. Daniels slipped in an in-breaking route. Nussmeier fired, and there was no one there to catch it but Bray Hubbard. Just some misfortune on a wet night where nothing seemed to go LSU’s way.

 

We can categorize all 11.

No Big Deal

The first and last picks were of no consequence. LSU was out of time against USC, and Daniels slipped down 29 against Alabama. No concerns there.

Bad Decision Making

Numbers six and seven here was just awful decisions. At that point in the game, you can’t throw a pop up down the sideline into double coverage against Ole Miss. And up 10 in College Station, you can’t crack to door open for the Aggies by forcing an across-the-body throw back over the middle of the field. Those can be easily avoided.

Bad Throw

LSU was being aggressive before the half with a lead against South Alabama, and he just didn’t make the proper throw. Not enough air. Too far right. No. 3 here was just a bad throw.

Red Zone Misread

Numbers two and 10 were misreads down in the red area, and both hurt badly. He just didn’t see the defender properly at South Carolina or Alabama. These are tougher to eliminate, and they hurt the worst.

Pressure

The first interception against Ole miss, No. 5 here, was a tipped ball. That’s going to happen over the course of a 12-game season.

Never Saw Him

I don’t think Nussmeier ever saw the safety for No. 4 against South Alabama. Lacy did have a step on the inside of the corner, but the safety was right in the middle of the field. It was an easy catch. And York for Texas A&M came off his pass rush to the check down. Nussmeier threw it right to him for No. 9.

 

This is Nussmeier’s first year as a starter. He’s seeing some things for the first time. LSU is also putting a ton on his plate both from a pre-snap perspective and in terms of the production of the offense. He’s made some sensational throws and plays. However, the interceptions are absolute killers. It’s not just one thing here or there, but the most prevalent theme has been misreads.

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