The LSU Tigers enter the bye week with lots of soul searching to do. The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 start, but the offense continues to be a serious cause for concern among LSU fans. Garrett Nussmeier and company haven't played up to their ability, and Nussmeier has been playing through a torso injury. Fans were hoping that the veteran gunslinger would be back to full health against Ole Miss in Week 5, but another underwhelming performance have fans questioning how healthy he actually is.
Nussmeier totaled just 197 yards through the air in LSU's 24-19 loss to the Rebels. He appeared severely limited in his ability to throw the ball down the field, which was evident in a drastically underthrown ball to Chris Hilton Jr in the 3rd quarter that should have been an easy touchdown. With no vertical threat or downfield passing game, the Ole Miss defense was easily able to keep everything in front of them.
Nussmeier entered the 2025 season among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, but through five games, his numbers aren't even close to what they were a season ago.
Nussmeier through 5 games in 2024 vs 2025
Nussmeier was one of the most prolific passers in all of college football last season. He ranked 5th in the country with 4,052 passing yards and 10th with 29 touchdown passes. He also led the SEC in completions with 337. After such a strong campaign, Nussmeier chose to forgo the 2025 NFL Draft for one more season in Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, his 2025 season hasn't been as imagined through five games.
Nussmeier has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game this season, which is something he did eight times in 2024. His highest passing yard total so far in 2025 is 273 yards, which came against FCS Southeastern Louisiana. His 197 yards through the air against Ole Miss are a season low thus far.
Through five games, Nussmeier has totaled 1,159 passing yards to go along with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. For comparison, Nussmeier accumulated 1,656 passing yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions through five games in 2024.
🏈BY THE NUMBERS: Garrett Nussmeier thru the 1st 5️⃣ games in 2024 vs 2025📊
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) September 30, 2025
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His completion percentage through five games has increased slightly from last season (66.5 to 67.3), but that can be mostly attributed to the high number of short throws Joe Sloan has dialed up. Sloan's offensive approach has leaned on short, high-percentage throws that have become predictable with a lack of creativity. LSU has lacked a vertical threat to the passing game, and Ole Miss had no problems keeping the LSU offense at bay this past weekend.
Offensive line and running game also having major issues
Nussmeier hasn't looked like himself, but not all of the offensive struggles can be placed on him. It doesn't help that LSU's running game has been non-existent and the offensive line in front of him hasn't been strong. LSU regularly allowed Ole Miss to generate pressure on Nussmeier with just three pass-rushers, and the running game averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on the day.
As a whole, the LSU offense is averaging just 27.0 points per game this season, which is the third-worst mark in the SEC. Only Florida and South Carolina are averaging fewer points per game than the Tigers. Furthermore, LSU is averaging a measly 19.75 points per game against FBS opponents in 2025. All in all, it's been a frustrating start to the season for the Tiger offense, and Brian Kelly and his staff have a lot to figure out before hosting South Carolina on Oct. 11.