"Farthest thing from mature": Greg McElroy flames Garrett Nussmeier after throwing horrible INT as Brian Kelly rips into LSU QB on sidelines

Garrett Nussmeier is regarded as one of the nation’s premier returning quarterbacks for the 2025 season, and he has LSU off to a strong 3-0 start after a 20-10 win over Florida on Saturday.

However, the night wasn’t spotless for Nussmeier. In the fourth quarter, after an LSU fumble set up a tough third-and-long, he forced a throw across his body that Florida’s Dijon Johnson picked off.

The miscue drew sharp criticism, as ESPN’s Sean McDonough called it bluntly:

"What a terrible decision by Nussmeier."

Former NFL quarterback Greg McElroy was even harsher:

"Just can't do that," McElroy said. "I mean, you're a fifth-year senior. This is just careless. I mean, what's he doing?... Be a mature decision-maker. That right there, farthest thing from mature."

On the sidelines, LSU coach Brian Kelly was visibly upset with his quarterback. After the game, Kelly acknowledged Nussmeier’s strong play but didn’t downplay the turnover:

"Obviously the interception can't happen," Kelly said (via On3's Jerit Roser). "We've talked about it enough. I'm not going to beat him up up here, but he knows."

Despite the mistake, Nussmeier delivered key moments, as his 23-yard touchdown strike to Zavion Thomas gave LSU a 10-3 edge in the second quarter, and he finished the game with 220 passing yards and one score.

Through the first two weeks, Nussmeier had gone 54-for-79 with 469 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

CFB analyst praises Garrett Nussmeier as college football’s top QB

Garrett Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, and he carried that momentum into 2025. In LSU’s season opener, he went 28-for-38 with 232 yards and a touchdown, leading the Tigers to a 17–10 road win over Clemson.

SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers was emphatic in his praise after the performance.

"[Garrett Nussmeier] is the best QB in college football," Rodgers said on SEC Network on Saturday. "I still believe he'll be holding the Heisman trophy when it's all said and done.

"He's so good off-platform. He's so good when pressure's on. You saw him rise to the biggest occasions against Clemson in Week 1."

LSU now turns its attention to Southeastern Louisiana in Week 2.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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