LSU benches quarterback Garrett Nussmeier against Alabama, turns to Michael Van Buren

On paper, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was having a decent enough night against Alabama. But the Tigers offense has stalled and after a poor decision in the red zone by Nussmeier, he has been benched.

Michael Van Buren entered the contest for LSU with the game very much still within reach. He took over with about six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

At the time of his benching, Garrett Nussmeier was 18-of-21 passing for 121 yards. He had not thrown a touchdown or an interception in the contest. Alabama led 17-6 at the time of this writing.

It was the play in the red zone that drew the ire of interim coach Frank Wilson and might have led to his benching. Nussmeier faced just a three-man rush in the red zone, but he ran right into the arms of a defender for a big loss, erasing a touchdown-scoring chance.

Instead, LSU had to settle for a field goal, which likely isn’t going to get the job done against Alabama. Wilson was seen on the sidelines chewing out Nussmeier after the play.

ABC analyst Sean McDonough caught a glimpse of the interaction and likened it to similar moments with Brian Kelly. The former LSU coach had a penchant for blowing up on players on the sideline.

“Ooh, he’s channeling Brian Kelly right now,” McDonough said.

Kelly getting upset felt almost routine in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier found himself on the receiving end of plenty of rants but was certainly not alone. Plenty of other players and coaches got the wrath of Kelly when something went wrong during a game.

Which is why fellow analyst Greg McElroy hinted at feeling bad for Nussmeier. A quarterback himself, McElroy did point out how Garrett Nussmeier has taken plenty of shots throughout the season. At the same time, the specific play Wilson was upset about is tough to defend.

“He’s taken a lot of hits this year, so you feel for him,” McElroy said. “And he has battled but man, that one right there. That one is on the quarterback.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this report.