Three Observations From LSU Football's Week 5 Loss to the Ole Miss Rebels

Three Observations: Week 5 Edition

No. 1: Garrett Nussmeier's Struggles Continue

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier entered the 2025 season with his name at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation where expectations continued rising for the redshirt-senior signal-caller.

Heading into Week 5, there was a feeling that Nussmeier was rounding the corner and was on pace to regain his natural form as one of the top quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference.

But it was once again a challenging day at the office for the Tigers' veteran quarterback.

Nussmeier couldn't find a rhythm from start to finish - under-throwing passes, missing wideouts and making improper reads across four quarters of football.

The Louisiana native has battled a sluggish season for the Bayou Bengals where he's completing 68 percent of his passing attempts with less than 1,200 yards through the air. He's tossed seven touchdowns with three interceptions.

On Saturday, Nussmeier ended the night going 21-for-34 with 197 yards and a touchdown - along with one interception - in the most challenging game of his career.

The Week 5 performance marked Nussmeier's first career start where he's passed for less than 200 yards.

No. 2: The Rushing Attack is Nonexistent

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels entered Week 5 with one of the worst run defenses in college football with the program giving up 190 yards per game on the ground.

Despite the Tigers entering the matchup without starting running back Caden Durham, the showdown in Oxford presented an opportunity for the LSU rushing attack to hit its stride.

That was not the case at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.

LSU ran the ball 22 times for a total of 57 yards against one of college football's worst run defenses this season. It was an average of 2.6 yards per carry.

The Tigers provided Ju'Juan Johnson, Harlem Berry, Caden Durham, Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown opportunities to run the ball.

By negating the rushing attempts from wideouts Thomas and Brown - two attempts for 16 yards - the LSU running backs ran the ball 20 times for 41 yards. 2.05 yards per carry.

No. 3: The Defense Hit a Wall Against Trinidad Chambliss

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss entered Saturday against the LSU Tigers coming off of back-to-back starts where he logged over 400 yards of total offense.

The Division II All-American transfer made his first career start in Week 3 where he lifted the the Rebels to an SEC win over the Arkansas Razorbacks and carried his momentum into Week 4 after defeating the Tulane Green Wave.

Fast forward to Week 5 and it was another gem for the dual-threat signal-caller after carving the LSU defense through all four quarters.

The Tigers' defense came into the Top-15 matchup sitting at No. 4 in the SEC in total defense and No. 17 overall - allowing opposing offenses to only 246 yards of offense per game.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss ended the first half with 242 yards of total offense single-handedly with the Ferris State transfer lighting up LSU's defense from start to finish.

Chambliss was sensational against a top-five defense in America with his dual-threat abilities giving the LSU Tigers fits - logging 314 passing yards on 23 completions along with 71 rushing yards.

The Rebels' signal-caller was the clearcut MVP on Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium after orchestrating drive after drive that resulted in points on an LSU defense that gave up 9.6 points per game heading into Week 5.

No. 4 LSU will return to action on Oct. 11 against the South Carolina Gamecocks where the program is set to utilize a Week 6 open date to get healthy.