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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
After leading 17-7 at halftime (a lead they should've built up to 27-7 at least), Brian Kelly's #8 ranked LSU Tigers would squander a major opportunity in their College Football Playoff quest, losing 38-23 to Texas A&M after an apocalyptic 2nd half showing (outscored 31-6), missing 3 field goals, screwing up a 4th after a botched hold by Peyton Todd, while QB Garrett Nussmeier chucked 3 erratic, ill advised interceptions, as LSU's much improved defense could not stop A&M's rushing attack, 242 yards, 49 carries, and 5 scores on the ground, were eaten alive inside the trenches, and were outcoached & dominated over the final 30 minutes.
Backup QB Marcel Reed (66 rushing yards, 9 rushes, 3 rushing TDs, 70 passing yards, 2/2) arrived on the field at halftime in place of starter Connor Weigman and proceeded to take over a game where he was greatly assisted by multiple, continuous 2nd half LSU errors, aside from 3 INTs & 4 missed field goals, also included 6 offensive line penalties once again, just 24 rushing yards from 23 carries for Frank Wilson's running backs, and 9 overall wasted offensive drives.....
If LSU played complimentary football perfectly to a tee against Arkansas, or showcased grit & toughness vs Ole Miss, where the Tigers' defense, offense and special teams all worked in concert to help each other in all 3 phases, Saturday night's 2nd half at Kyle Field will be remembered as a night where LSU played elementary, error-riddled football, suffocated by fear & hesitation, while offensive turnovers or special teams howlers sent a tired defense out there for extra possessions with their backs against the wall....missed field goals or special teams handling errors gifting A&M glorious field position....
This was a game of 2 startlingly different halves, the first where QB Garrett Nussmeier was 14/26 for 259 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs, although his receivers dropped 4 accurate passes; LSU's defense also confined Connor Weigman to 49 passing yards in the 1st half & just over 100 total, alongside their lone 7 points.
LSU's Kyren Lacy caught 3 passes for 83 yards in the first half, but also dropped 2 on critical downs, couldn't place his feet in bounds for another sizable gain, before he ultimately became a peripheral figure throughout a disturbing 2nd half.....just 23 yards during the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Displaying the explosion LSU's offense should repeatedly showcase, Aaron Anderson caught a 76 yard slant and took it to the house, splitting two defenders on the route and breaking A&M's defense wide open, however...LSU's offensive playcalling would largely eschew inside routes for the entirety of the 2nd half....opting instead for easily defended passes towards the boundaries.
LSU had every opportunity to take a 3 score lead and blow the doors off Kyle Field's hinges....but after red zone breakdowns, receivers dropping passes, Damian Ramos' missed field goals, Nussmeier's poor vision on the night, or the complete lack of a running game, Joe Sloan's offense repeatedly failed to cash in.....choking & leaving a total of 21+ points lingering in the ether & haze somewhere above Kyle Field....
Make no mistake, as much as Blake Baker's defense couldn't stop QB Marcel Reed after A&M Head Coach Mike Elko's astute move, the failures that define LSU's humiliating double digit defeat stem directly from their offensive errors & ineptitude, constantly throwing Baker's defense in a "no win" scenario....often yards away from their own end zone following another horrific turnover or quick 3 and out.
Despite his fiery start, QB Garrett Nussmeier finished 25/50 for 405 yards (just 9 completions across the final 2 quarters), his 2 first half TDs, before throwing 3 interceptions during a madcap 2nd half where the wheels fell off The NussBus, the battery died, and the whole thing nearly went up in flames....
Swallowed up by A&M's front pressure, even getting sacked, smacked, or walloped on a few occasions, Nuss was unable to connect with his receivers when it mattered most, forced to accept checkdowns to backs or tight ends for little or no gain.....
All 3 interceptions stand as devastating, game-altering moments.
All 3 were forced, gunslinger plays from Nussmeier's former persona....a visage of a warrior quarterback going for the hero pass on every attempt, throwing picks, frustratedly ripping his chin strap loose....the sweat mixing in with the eyeblack around his face, creating a miserable deadpool....a life we thought he'd left behind, but may take another year to iron out.
LSU threw this game away, absolutely and definitively.
Not discounting A&M's tremendous defensive efforts & game-changing offensive rethink, but I feel Brian Kelly's Tigers lost complete control over an opponent they should've outclassed before the 2nd half had even kicked off....the team we thought LSU had become after wins over Ole Miss and Arkansas instead reverted back to a unit without a cutting edge....lacking any ability to put a game away....proving they're still more prototype than the proper product.
Settling for field goals may work against Arkansas, but it won't settle matters in 2024 vs top competition......even when facing a very one dimensional Texas A&M offense....
Allowing any SEC squad to hang around will inevitably cost you...and tonight Brian Kelly's Tigers didn't just let the Aggies hang on for dear life, A&M dictated terms, took over the entire 2nd half, and in the end, it felt like LSU actually surrendered, incapable of seizing the moment....afraid of taking that next step and becoming a great team....
Instead, this team reminded us of the cold hard truth: 2024 LSU is still the greatly flawed team they always were, yet I shudder at the overwhelming fact behind both defeats to USC and A&M:
The unit many barely worried about over the offseason, LSU's offense, is chiefly responsible for their 2 losses, games defined by questionable strategies, a gallery of missed opportunities, and woeful execution.
For a team who've dealt with their share of outside adversity, from injuries to key starters, an opening week defeat, a tough schedule, a first year starting QB, and a new offensive playcaller, Kelly's squad must now stop creating their own obstacles...and find a way to win their final 4 games.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
This game shows why all the talk this week of Nuss being a 1st round talent and leaving early should be quiet now. He’s a season away from being what he should be at the position. Has to understand the play the next down and throw it away. And after the 1st pick, everything was sideline passes due to fear of making a mistake in the middle. Defense caught on and pressed the receivers and that caused the 2nd INT. He will get better. However the O-line is truly not helping him at this point. It’s official we are a finesse team and we should have at least 2 to 3 O-lineman next season..unless they really improve. The next game…