"He's what everyone swore Arch Manning was": CFB fans troll Garrett Nussmeier on getting benched during LSU-Alabama clash

LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was benched during their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. After trailing 17-6 in Tuscaloosa, interim coach Frank Wilson decided to bring in backup quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. into the game.

Fans on social media called out Garrett Nussmeier for his performance against Alabama and trolled him for being benched against their SEC opponent.

"He is what everyone swore Arch (Manning) was," one fan commented. "Remember when he was supposed to win the Heisman," another fan said. "Bama is so good they made the preseason undisputed first overall draft pick get benched!" this fan wrote. "Remember when he won the Heisman in July," another fan stated. "To busy chasing the college bag dropped that draft stock lol," this fan wrote. "Wow! From potential #1 pick before the season to now being benched. Shocking," another fan commented.

On paper, Garrett Nussmeier had decent productivity before being benched by Frank Wilson. He completed 18 of 21 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns and interceptions. However, the Tigers decided on a quarterback change after his costly mistake in the red zone.

During the red zone play in the third quarter, Nussmeier faced a three-man rush. However, the quarterback decided to make a running play and rushed right into the arms of Alabama defenders. This hurt their chances of a potential touchdown, after which Michael Van Buren Jr. was brought into the game.

In the end, the Crimson Tide secured a 20-9 victory at home. It was the Tigers' first game under interim coach Frank Wilson, following the firing of Brian Kelly after losing to Texas A&M at home.

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LSU interim coach Frank Wilson reveals the reason behind Garrett Nussmeier's benching

In the post-game press conference, Wilson talked about their decision to bench Garrett Nussmeier for the backup quarterback. He explained that Michael Van Buren Jr. was brought into the game because of a change in their strategy and his ability to run with the ball.

"As we discussed as a staff, we knew there could be opportunities in the quarterback run game and then at the back end as they tried to bring closure to it, they would make it difficult to just sit in the pocket," Wilson said. "We wanted to move them around and do some things and we thought he gave us a chance to do those things so that went into the thought of it."

Van Buren, who transferred from Mississippi State in December 2024, completed five of 11 passes for 52 yards against Alabama. The LSU Tigers are 5-4 with a three-game losing streak under their belt.

Edited by Priyam Hazarika