LSU’s dominance was dismantled! Just a week ago, Brian Kelly & Co. were riding high, firmly planted in the top ranks of college football. Six straight wins had the Tiger faithful buzzing. But their perfect run came to a screeching halt in a shocking loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies staged a remarkable comeback, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. This loss has sent shockwaves through the college football world and left LSU fans reeling. Now, to make matters worse, Brian Kelly received a harsh reality check from Josh Pate.

On the October 28th Week 9 Reaction Show, Josh Pate from the College Football Show stated, “You kind of put your guy in an unfair position cuz Garrett Nussmeier is not Joe Burrow right?” He also declared, “So you can’t look at him and say Garrett you know we can’t do this or that.” However, why Joe Burrow? After all, Burrow is the perfect ex-LSU quarterback to whom everyone would naturally compare.

Josh Pate’s reality check even earned the nod from LSU Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly. After their recent loss, Kelly admitted in the post-game press conference, “We’ve got to help Garrett out. Quite frankly, we’ve got to give him a more balanced offense, and you know he can’t be that guy that’s got to throw for 365 yards.” So, is Kelly losing faith in Garrett Nussmeier, or is he just trying to support his quarterback with a more balanced game plan?

It’s important to remember that Nussmeier is still the best option Kelly has. In fact, earlier this season, Nussmeier was even compared to Joe Burrow for his standout performance in Week 5. He led the Tigers to a win over South Alabama, throwing two touchdowns and racking up a career-high 409 passing yards. That performance made him just the seventh quarterback in LSU history to pass for over 400 yards in a game. The comparisons to Burrow are flattering—after all, Burrow threw for 493 yards against Oklahoma, the second-highest in LSU’s history, and set a record with 403 passing yards in just the first half of that game.

Despite the highs, though, Nussmeier and the Tigers have hit some bumps lately, facing challenges that have tested their resilience.

Brian Kelly’s LSU had a surprise!

LSU had a 17–7 lead halfway through the third quarter in the game against Texas A&M. But when A&M’s backup quarterback Marcel Reed took Weigman’s place, everything changed and Nussmeier started to falter. Before then, Nussmeier had been in good form, throwing for two touchdowns and 259 yards in the first half. But in the second half, Nussmeier drifted the football over the middle of the field, and Texas cornerback BJ Mayes intercepted it.

When Reed entered his debut and tallied on the next play, the situation was quickly turned around. After LSU failed a field goal on its subsequent try, Texas A&M took a 21–17 edge and never looked back. Garrett wasn’t ready for Reed, then? For Texas, the quarterback change appears to be a blessing. This turn of events, however, opened the Tigers’ eyes. According to the head coach, “We needed to coach better, and we needed to execute better.” Let’s see what the team has in store for their next matchup with Alabama.