| Garrett Nussmeier wasn't having the best night throwing the ball Saturday against the Ole Miss Rebels. Not until it counted the most. His last two throws were brilliant ones, throws that helped lift the LSU Tigers to their thrilling 29-26 overtime victory over Ole Miss inside a packed, loud and shimmering Tiger Stadium. Our Wilson Alexander gives a gripping account of LSU coach Brian Kelly describing Nussmeier's play in that game ... and where he's trying to go from here. ------------------------------ Garrett Nussmeier saw Ole Miss had double coverage on his first read, so he turned his head to the other side of the field. As LSU's quarterback worked through his progressions, the Tigers trailed by a touchdown with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter Saturday night. It was fourth and 5, so Nussmeier only needed to find a way to extend the drive. Instead, he threw a 23-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Aaron Anderson that sent LSU into overtime in its 29-26 win. Nussmeier released the ball before Anderson even created separation, and considering the stakes, it may have been his best pass of the season so far. “He anticipated where (Anderson) was going to be and threw the ball expecting him to be there,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “That's trusting your teaching, trusting that you know that guy is going to be there. He has thrown that ball so many times, that you just let it go. (Anderson) wasn't there. He wasn't open yet. He threw him open.” Add it to the list of impressive throws Nussmeier has made this year. He said he played “one of the worst games of my career” after completing 43% (22 of 51) of his passes with two interceptions against Ole Miss, giving him plenty to work on before No. 8 LSU plays Arkansas. He also whipped that touchdown over the middle of the field with the game on the line. “He fits it in there with kind of a three-quarter sidearm sling,” Kelly said. “Pretty special play.” A few things helped the throw happen. Ole Miss used two deep safeties with man coverage underneath, an ideal look for the call made by offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. One of those safeties helped cover wide receiver Kyren Lacy on a corner route from the right slot. Kelly said Anderson was the third read, but as the play unfolded, he became the best choice. Anderson sprinted along the left hash, working in the slot against junior defensive back Jadon Canady. He bent his route between Canady and the other safety, angling toward the middle of the field. The attention on Lacy had created space, and the offensive line gave the routes time to develop. Nussmeier released the moment Anderson made his cut. When the ball came out of his hand, Anderson and Canady were next to each other. But Canady had to flip his hips, and Anderson got a step on him. “It was the coverage we wanted,” Nussmeier said. “Aaron ran a good route and that was that. Coach Sloan called a good football play, and we executed.” Anderson had been targeted seven times but only had two catches at that point. Lacy said early in the game, he thought Anderson was beginning to lose focus. Lacy understood. He had that problem last year as the third option behind former LSU receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas. “The ball wasn't coming his way,” Lacy said. “I told him, 'You're going to win us this game, bro. Stay locked in.' I felt like he was starting to get away from it because last year, that's how I was. When the ball isn't coming your way, it's like, 'When is it going to come? When is it going to come?' I told Aaron, 'Stay locked in because that ball is going to come your way. And when it comes your way, do something with it.' ” Although Nussmeier followed that throw with an overtime touchdown pass, helping him win SEC offensive player of the week, he wanted to watch the film to learn from his mistakes. He threw two interceptions for the second straight game, and Kelly said Nussmeier needs to "be a little bit more disciplined in his drops in those situations." But Nussmeier never buckled. Kelly said LSU's quarterback was always "looking for solutions" as the offense struggled, trying to "find a way to get through this." Nussmeier told the coaches what plays he liked against certain coverages as the game went on, and his input helped in crucial moments. "I think he's always engaged looking for answers, and I think that's what makes him unique," Kelly said. "Regardless of what has happened, he's looking for success later in the game. Some of the plays that were called later were ones that he really likes and feels comfortable with, and you could see by the way he threw the football, those were plays that he could throw with a blindfold on because those are the ones that he feels comfortable with." Moving forward, Kelly wants Nussmeier to scramble more when it makes sense. He mentioned how former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow saw the field open up at one point Sunday night against the New York Giants, and Burrow immediately took off for a 47-yard touchdown. Nussmeier has enough speed to replicate that. He ran for a short touchdown when South Alabama vacated the middle of the field two weeks ago, and he scrambled for 14 yards to pick up a first down against Ole Miss. Kelly said Nussmeier needs to keep working on that part of his game. “Those openings do occur,” Kelly said. “I think he saw that the other night. That's going to be part of his development and seeing that he can run and in fact will run. Doesn't mean we're going to put in a quarterback run package for him, but when the opportunity arises, he knows that he's capable of doing that and helping his football team.” ------------------------------ We've got tons of other content for you in today's newsletter, so as the English say, "Let's get cracking, shall we?" - Kelly talked about the option/necessity/luxury of playing tall and talented freshman tight end Trey'Dez Green more at wide receiver.
- Speaking of receivers, Kelly gave the latest injury update on CJ Daniels and Chris Hilton.
- In my column, I touch on the Tigers' need to keep the momentum going with this Saturday's game at Arkansas and Kelly's not so happy thoughts on fans rushing the field as they did against Ole Miss.
- Kelly responded to the lawsuit by former LSU safety Greg Brooks that names him as one of the defendants.
- Gabe Henderson has TV info and the latest odds on the Tigers and Razorbacks.
- SEC Basketball Media Days begin a two-day run Tuesday in Birmingham. Monday we got to see the women's basketball preseason poll and All-SEC team as well as the men's poll and All-SEC picks. Spoiler alert: the media voters think a lot more highly of the LSU women than the men.
That's all for today you say? That's plenty for you to get through until our next newsletter. Happy reading, and we'll catch you Thursday morning. Scott Rabalais | 
