Garrett Nussmeier Had “Feeling Of Helplessness” While Abdomen Injury Was At Its Worst

October 14, 2025 Glenn Guilbeau LSU Football News 0
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finally talked about his abdomen injury during player interviews on Tuesday night. (Tiger Rag photo by Brock Holifield).

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finally broke his silence on the abdomen strain that he has dealt with since August, but the injury is finally getting better and may be completely or nearly behind him soon.

“Everything I was going through the first couple weeks, it was obviously very frustrating,” Nussmeier said during player interviews on Tuesday night after practice. “And I think I let it get to me a little bit. It was a feeling of helplessness at times.”

The week leading up to the season opener at Clemson, Nussmeier politely told reporters he wasn’t going to talk about his health after LSU coach Brian Kelly said he was resting Nussmeier’s arm and not throwing him over the last several practices before that Aug. 30 game.

At the time, Kelly said Nussmeier was on a “pitch count,” and did not mention that he was injured.

After questions about Nussmeier’s inaccurate passes and weak, fluttering throws deep through the first three weeks of the season, Kelly finally let the news out on Sept. 15 that Nussmeier had a “torso” injury, which was partly accurate. Tiger Rag reported at the time that it was an abdomen injury, which Kelly later revealed.

Nussmeier was asked about that at the time, but continued to say he wouldn’t talk about his health.

A few days after Nussmeier threw for a career-low 197 yards in the 24-19 loss at Ole Miss no Sept. 27, rumors flew that he had a torn oblique that required surgery and would be lost for the season. But Kelly put that to rest on the SEC teleconference on Oct. 1.

“Yeah, early on he had an ab strain,” Kelly said, referencing the abdomen for the first time after previously calling it a torso and core injury, which includes the abdomen.

“And it’s been slow to heal, but as I had mentioned (on Sept. 15), he’s on the back side of that,” Kelly said. “And he’s getting rest this week. And he’ll be the Garrett Nussmeier that he needs to be as we get into the very difficult part of our schedule.”

Nussmeier again didn’t speak of any injury at the time.

Kelly said at the time that Nussmeier wouldn’t be able to start getting past the injury until the open date, which is exactly what happened.

After an open date on Oct. 4, Nussmeier finally started resembling the 2024 version of himself in the 20-10 win over South Carolina last Saturday as he completed 20 of 33 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He still was erratic, though, as he threw two interceptions.

But the arm strength and swagger were back. And he could be erratic last season as well when he finished sixth in the nation in passing yards per game at 311, yet No. 42 in the nation in passing efficiency at 142.7 on 337-of-525 passing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He threw two or more interceptions four games. Nussmeier is 45th in the nation this season in passing yards a game at 235.5 and 78th in efficiency at 134.0 on 135-of-204 passing for 1,413 yards and nine TDs with five interceptions.

“A lot of frustration, but now just having fun and trying to get back to just being me,” he said Tuesday. “I think I lost that for a minute there. Coach challenged me with that – be myself and bring that swagger back. So I’m trying to do that. Just figuring out what I am and what I needed to do.”

And not a week too soon as the No. 10 Tigers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) will now face three straight ranked opponents, beginning at No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC). Then No. 4 Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0 SEC) will be at Tiger Stadium on Oct. 25 before LSU goes to No. 8 Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) on Nov. 8 following an open date.

Nussmeier never discussed what his injury was or is, but he did reference being hurt throughout the season.

“I think it was pretty obvious what was going on,” he said. “I don’t want to get into it directly. But it’s a sport that you have to play when you’re banged up. Obviously, it’s been frustrating, but you know, as I said it’s football, you’ve got to play through it.”

Asked about his improved play in the South Carolina win, Nussmeier said, “Definitely, there is a little bit of a confident booster there when I’m starting to feel better. I’d be lying if I said it differently.”

Nussmeier said the open week was a boost for his health.

“It helped a lot for me, being able to get a good rest and then just trying to play like myself,” he said. “With the stuff I was dealing with in the first couple of weeks, it was definitely frustrating. Just allowing myself to go out there and have fun playing football again – that was the biggest thing for me. Whenever I do that, I play a lot more free and play better.”

Nussmeier also admitted that his interception near the goal line against South Carolina was indeed his fault when he did not see a safety very near his intended target – tight end Trey’Dez Green.

“Yeah, just a misread. Bad play by me,” he said. “Something I’ve got to wear, so. It happened. Mistake. Mistakes happen, I guess. But yeah, 100 percent, it was a bad read. Wrong play by me.”

Well, that abdomen injury may be out of the way, but Nussmeier has been dealing with a minor ankle injury as well suffered against South Carolina. But he downplayed it Tuesday and said he is going to continue to be Garrett Nussmeier.

“To me, that means just leading the offense in the correct way,” he said. “Being the guy who can lead this offense into what it truly has the potential to be. That’s my goal. Nothing else.”

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