LSU's Garrett Nussmeier Reflects on Texas A&M Collapse

It's easy to forget now, but on Oct. 26, 2024, the prime time showdown between the Texas A&M Aggies and LSU Tigers was the biggest game in not just the SEC, but college football as a whole.

The Aggies and Tigers entered that game as the last two unbeaten teams in SEC play, and their seasons up to that point were remarkably similar. Both lost their season openers to non-conference opponents - A&M against Notre Dame and LSU against USC - before reeling off seven straight victories. Suddenly a game that was flying under the radar beforehand had massive College Football Playoff implications.

The Tigers started strong, taking a 17-7 lead into halftime, but the Aggies came roaring back in the second half. With Marcel Reed replacing Conner Weigman at quarterback, A&M outscored LSU 31-6 in the second half to roll to a 38-23 victory and make a statement in the SEC.

Though neither team really came close to making the CFP, this game still held a lot of significance at the time. For one Tigers star, it still does.

Garrett Nussmeier Reflects on Lessons Learned vs. Texas A&M

Tigers star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, one of the Heisman frontrunners going into this season, had a rough showing against the Aggies. He threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns, but he only completed 50 percent of his passes and his three second-half interceptions fueled A&M's comeback.

When asked about the lessons he learned from that game at SEC Media Days, Nussmeier had an insightful moment of self-reflection.

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier was asked about former Texas A&M TE Donovan Green and last year’s game at Kyle Field: pic.twitter.com/k79Xw5R79S
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) July 14, 2025

"Obviously, taking care of the football, and trying to make things happen when I didn't need to," Nussmeier told reporters. "Me as a quarterback, I'm an anticipation passer. You know, there's going to be some interceptions, but in that game you can see interceptions in the areas that I'm trying to improve on where maybe I tried to make a play when I didn't need to. And it also ties into my growth and using my legs as well. Maybe there are times where I should've just tucked it and just got back to the line of scrimmage or just get two or three yards and slide, not have to force a throw. That could make a mistake, that could change a ball game like I did in that game.

"That was a huge moment for me, and as bad as it sucks to say, I'm almost glad that I had the experience that low. I mean the first half of football was good, we were in good shape. Definitely a big lesson to learn from that as well."

Nussmeier will have a chance to show the Aggies what he's learned when the two teams face off on Oct. 25, almost a year to the day since their last showdown. This game, however, will be at Tiger Stadium rather than Kyle Field.