In the middle of the second quarter on Saturday evening, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier jogged into the locker room without shoulder pads. He pressed his right arm to his side, trying to protect himself from possible injury after being hit. Nussmeier had an X-ray, and when the result came back negative, he ran back to the sideline.

After his return, Nussmeier led LSU to a 37-17 victory over Oklahoma at Tiger Stadium. With the win, the Tigers ended the regular season on a positive note after their three-game losing streak ended any hope of contending for the championship.

The game ended 17-17 when Nussmeier came back late in the second quarter. He then completed 10 passes in a row, including two long touchdowns to wide receiver Chris Hilton, giving LSU (8-4, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) a commanding lead. The 37 points were the most points Oklahoma had allowed this year.

Despite missing most of the second quarter, Nussmeier completed 71% of his throws (22 of 31) for 277 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He had three passes of more than 40 yards, the most for him in a game this season, and all came after he returned to the game.

Meanwhile, the LSU defense took care of Oklahoma. The Sooners (6-6, 2-6) fumbled on five of their 11 drives. Two more ended with an interception on a trick play by safety Sage Ryan and a turnover on downs. Oklahoma averaged just 4.7 yards per play. LSU defensive lineman freshman Dominick McKinley had two sacks and Whit Weeks led the team with 15 tackles.

Without much of an aerial threat, LSU focused on stopping the run. Running quarterbacks have struggled this year, with Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushing for a season-high 131 yards in a win over Alabama last week. He rushed for just 75 yards Saturday night and most of his damage came from scrambles, not designed carries.

Before leaving the game, Nussmeier threw an 18-yard touchdown to senior receiver Kyren Lacy to give LSU an early lead. But he also fumbled when he was sacked deep in LSU territory, and Oklahoma defensive lineman R. Mason Thomas returned the loose ball for a game-winning touchdown.

LSU’s offensive line released too much pressure at this point. Oklahoma has already hurried three times. And in the middle of the next drive, Thomas ducked around left tackle Will Campbell.

Thomas hit Nussmeier in the back and slammed his throwing shoulder to the ground with 14:02 left in the second quarter.

Nussmeier went to the injured tent in obvious pain. Several players checked on Nussmeier while team doctors examined his shoulder. They removed his pads and Nussmeier jogged into the locker room as AJ Swann entered the game.

With Nussmeier’s status uncertain, freshman running back Caden Durham gained a 50-yard gain to set up LSU’s next possession. But the Tigers stalled at the 11-yard line when Swann threw two incompletions, and they settled for a field goal.

LSU’s defense had stopped Oklahoma by then, holding the Sooners to 23 yards on their first three drives. But Arnold threw a 50-yard pass on Oklahoma’s next offensive play and then ran 28 yards to set up a short touchdown.

That’s when Nussmeier ran out of the locker room and began throwing on the LSU sideline. Kelly told LSU Radio he gave Nussmeier the “option” to return.

“I throw the football (expletive),” Nussmeier said, according to ESPN sideline reporter Cole Cubelic.

For a moment, LSU didn’t even need Nussmeier to take back the lead. Redshirt sophomore Aaron Anderson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the first time since 2020 that an LSU player returned a kickoff for a touchdown. And after the defense forced a field goal, Nussmeier came back to tie the game at 17-17.

There were moments when Nussmeier looked uncomfortable, especially after diving for a first down once, but the injury didn’t seem to affect him too much. He scrambled a few times and kept throwing the ball. Additionally, he hit several deep throws and added an element to the LSU offense that had been missing for most of the season.

The first came when Nussmeier threw a 40-yard touchdown to Hilton in the front right corner of the end zone to cap his first drive of the game. The second came early in the second half when he hit Hilton again, this time on a 45-yard touchdown down the middle of the field. Later, Nussmeier found tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton for a 42-yard completion that set up a field goal.

After losing three straight games, LSU salvaged the remainder of the regular season.