Thomas Castellanos talked his talk this offseason, then walked his walk on Saturday against No. 8 Alabama. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier decided to follow his example in another SEC-ACC matchup.
According to Chapel Fowler of The State Newspaper, Nussmeier took some time to endure himself to the Clemson faithful before kickoff to Saturday’s showdown. The senior signal-caller — who entered the week second in Heisman Trophy odds, behind only Arch Manning — made the trip to Clemson’s student section less than an hour before the game began.
Nussmeier has been so-so to open the dueling “Death Valley” affair. He completed 4 of his first 5 passes (80%) for 21 yards. Unfortunately, tight end Bauer Sharp fumbled one of them, which allowed Clemson to take an early 3-0 lead.
As a whole LSU’s offense has struggled through three drives. The Bayou Bengals put up 63 yards, but committed multiple false starts and have already spent two of their three timeouts. Fortunately for head coach Brian Kelly, his defense has been stellar. It sent Cade Klubnik and Co. backward a combined -10 yards on Clemson’s first two possessions. For the embattled head coach to head home as a winner, though, he’ll need more from Nussmeier as the game moves along.
LSU is looking to snap a streak of 5 consecutive season-opening losses.
