Garrett Nussmeier Impresses CFB Fans as Brian Kelly, LSU Beat Baylor in Texas Bowl

Garrett Nussmeier will return to LSU for the 2025 season, bypassing the NFL for one more year, and Tuesday's performance in the Texas Bowl against Baylor was a reminder of why the rest of the SEC can't be happy with that decision.

The Tigers' quarterback torched the Bears, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 44-31 victory.

Chris Hilton Jr. (four catches for 113 yards and a touchdown), Aaron Anderson (eight receptions for 91 yards) and Trey'Dez Green (six catches for 53 yards and two scores) were his preferred targets, pacing what proved to be an explosive LSU offense despite a number of bowl opt-outs on that side of the ball, including star left tackle Will Campbell, fellow offensive linemen Emery Jones and Garrett Dellinger, starting tight end Mason Taylor and the team's leading receiver from the regular season, Kyren Lacy.

Nussmeier wasn't perfect, throwing an ill-advised interception in the third quarter. But he was generally very good, and social media gave him his deserved flowers for the performance:

LSU (9-4) looked as though it had this one in the bag when it went up 34-17 in the third quarter following Zavion Thomas' 95-yard kick-off return for a touchdown. A pair of LSU turnovers on back-to-back drives made things more interesting, however, though Baylor (8-5) mitigated the shifting momentum by failing to convert a pair of fourth-down conversions.

The future appears to be bright for these Tigers. Nussmeier's return—alongside some excellent additions in the transfer portal—should have fans in Baton Rouge feeling very excited about the team's prospects for the 2025 season.