Brian Kelly weighs in on the performance of Garrett Nussmeier

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham09/25/22

AndrewEdGraham

With starting quarterback Jayden Daniels slightly banged up and the game against New Mexico pretty well in hand, LSU and head coach Brian Kelly opted to go with backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to close out the game.

The redshirt freshman looked excellent in his stint running the offense, completing 9-of-10 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown that came on a 57-yard shot to Brian Thomas Jr. After the game, Kelly gushed about Nussmeier’s performance.

“Decisive. And made, obviously, some really high-level throws,” Kelly said. “[Would’ve] loved to see him hook up with Malik [Nabers] down the field, but he’s a talented football player. He’s just making good decisions. Take what they give you, be disciplined, and you’ve got another really fine quarterback there.”

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Daniels had a lower back strain and had been cleared to return to the game, but was kept out as a precaution. He’ll be in line to get the start this weekend against Auburn, with Nussmeier again backing him up.

Kelly addressed the health of star LSU edge rusher BJ Ojulari after the game

After LSU defensive end BJ Ojulari made his return from injury in Week 3, he once again sat out on Saturday against New Mexico. The Tigers got the job done without Ojulari as they went on to shut out the Lobos 38-0, but his absence led to some questions about his health.

Kelly provided the answer postgame, clarifying the type of injury that Ojulari is dealing with.

“It’s the patella,” Kelly said. “We work out on Saturdays, and when we went through our workouts it was just cranky. There was no sense — especially in the position he had. He was not gonna get a ton of work where he had him in the Jack position. He had QB and as you saw, the ball was going out on the perimeter over there to run a dive. So we just thought it was best that we rest him and get him 100%.”

BJ Ojulari suffered the injury in the season opener against Florida State, and went on to sit out the following week. He returned against Mississippi State on Sept. 17, finishing with five tackles (2.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks.

Based on what Kelly said, it appears that him sitting out this week was only precautionary. Ojulari’s next chance to see the field will come at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday as LSU takes on Auburn.