The latest blow to the LSU football team's protection plan came on October 20, when starting left tackle Tyree Adams suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt and was projected to miss multiple games, per Matt Zenitz.
That matters for Garrett Nussmeier’s survival in the pocket as much as it matters for LSU’s November ambitions. He was sacked twice in Nashville, and every snap without his blind-side anchor tightens the margin for error in an offense already fighting inconsistency.
By Sunday night, the quarterback picture grew murkier, not clearer, as noticed by Pete Nakos. Florida interim play caller Billy Gonzales and LSU football team interim head coach Frank Wilson both declined to commit to DJ Lagway or Nussmeier for next week.
The message from each sideline was the same: evaluate, regroup, decide later. It keeps the door open to a tactical pivot and raises the question that Tigers fans are asking out loud. If Nussmeier sits, is that a brief reset or a longer bench?
The staff’s calculus is complex. LSU must balance pass protection that has frayed without Adams, a run game that works only when the box is light, and a defense that needs sustained drives to breathe.
A quarterback change only helps if the play sheet changes with it. That could mean an early down, quick game to keep LSU ahead of the sticks, motion to manufacture leverage for the receivers, and a heavier dose of designed movement to halve the field and cut the hit count.
If Lagway gets the whistle, expect LSU to lean on tempo, RPO tags, and simple, binary reads that leverage his legs. If Garrett Nussmeier keeps the job, the path back runs through rhythm throws, under-center play action, and a protection plan that declares help to the left edge until Adams returns. Either way, LSU’s staff must decide what it is willing to be on offense and live with it for four quarters rather than two drives.
Zooming in on Nussmeier, the trend line has been troubling. He opened the year as a Heisman favorite and a projected first-rounder, only to fade under pressure. The counting stats look stable, yet the tape shows stalled late-game execution, including a 197-yard, one-touchdown outing in the Ole Miss loss that fed the slide.
His betting odds drifted from strong favorite to long shot. Rumors of an upper-body issue linger while the program insists he is healthy. He has three interceptions, seven sacks, and a growing narrative about ball security and pocket poise.
At twenty-three with a lean frame, scouts now pair durability questions with decision-making concerns, and his stock has cooled.
So is the benching permanent? Not yet, at least. With Adams’ status uncertain and LSU still chasing traction, this is a week-to-week competition shaped by health, protection, and which script best shortens the game.
Wilson’s noncommittal stance keeps leverage in the building and pressure on both quarterbacks to claim the huddle with clean, mistake-free football.
