This is supposed to be LSU’s turnaround season, but it looks like Brian Kelly’s team loves repeating the same old mistakes. We all know the Tigers’ run game was a disaster last season, with an average of just 116 yards per game, which was also last in the SEC. That’s exactly why everyone thought this might not be the case this year. But here we are witnessing the same old inconsistency, as in 5 games they are 108.8 yards per game, and even Kelly’s locker room looks concerned now for Garrett Nussmeier!

LSU’s running game is a big mess this season. Now the blame sits mainly on Caden Durham’s unavailability because of an ankle injury, but overall, the team looks weak in run defense. That’s exactly what LSU offensive lineman Braelin Moore is pointing at. And WAFB’s Jacques Doucet quoted him on, X says, “@LSUfootball Braelin Moore makes it clear—until #LSU can run the football with any success, opposing defenses will continue to drop eight defenders and make things very crowded and difficult in the secondary for quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the Tiger wide receivers.”

That concern makes sense, as the LSU Tigers came up short against Ole Miss last week, with an awful run game, recording just 59 rushing yards. However, LSU just made them look perfect in their 24-19 victory.

And the result is pretty evident in Garrett Nussmeier’s performance against Ole Miss. This guy completed 21 of 34 passes for 197 yards, which is his career low, with one touchdown and 1 interception. That costly interception just ended the Tigers’ hope to win against Ole Miss. Why wouldn’t it? The defense kept sending three players straight at Nussmeier, making it hard for him to find open receivers and sometimes leading to an interception. Through 5 games, he has recorded 3 picks.

Nussmeier usually has a strong arm with the ability to make deep throws, but because of a weak run game, the pressure came right on him, and he could manage just 1/7 on passes thrown with just 20+ passing yards. None of the LSU backs were at their best against Ole Miss. Harlem Berry struggled to get one or more attempts and finished up with just 22 yards. He did find the end zone late in the game, which was 6 yards away, and that came in as the only best play in LSU’s run game. Then even Ju’Juan Johnson just had 6 attempts on short runs, finishing his game with only 18 yards without a single catch.

But the concern doesn’t just end there, as Brian Kelly gives an update on Nussmeier’s availability for Week 7.

Brian Kelly gives an injury update on Garrett Nussmeier

Brian Kelly’s team might stand on a 4-1 record and look dominant entering Week 7, but concern still lies pretty much on Nussmeier’s recovery. He’s been battling a ‘torso injury’—an abdominal strain—since the start of the season, which is keeping him from showing his full capacity. The timeline of his complete recovery is still not known, but this bye week might give him the perfect time to rest and heal.

As Brian Kelly breaks it down for all his fans, saying, “He’s feeling better and better. We didn’t do a lot with him last week. We wanted to use that as a recovery week for him. Obviously, I did a lot with VR and stayed involved in everything that we’re doing—running game checks, splits checks, and things of that nature. But we just cut him down from the throwing… Our expectations after talking to him are that he feels good and he’s ready to go.” Despite facing a health setback, he still showed up, trying to live up to his Heisman hype.

For now, Nussmeier has recorded 1,159 yards with a 67.3% completion rate with seven TDs. But let’s not forget that against Ole Miss the pressure sat right on his shoulders. Even Brian Kelly knows it: “I mean, the quarterback is going to get micro-managed when you lose games. I get that. Look, all I can tell you is, you know, he’s healthy.” Let’s just hope that doesn’t remain the same against South Carolina, as it’s going to be a home game for LSU.