Copyright Arkansas Online
The University of Arkansas football team is hoping the third time’s a charm to beat an SEC quarterback pair when it travels to play LSU on Saturday. LSU interim Coach Frank Wilson announced Monday he’ll employ starter Garrett Nussmeier and backup Michael Van Buren Jr. against the Razorbacks (2-7, 0-5 SEC) at 11:45 a.m. Central at Tiger Stadium. Nussmeier completed 18 of 21 passes for 121 yards, without a touchdown, in a 20-9 loss at No. 4 Alabama last Saturday. The fifth-year senior was benched for Van Buren with 6:26 left in the third quarter with the Tigers trailing 17-6. Van Buren couldn’t shake the offensive rut and finished 5 for 11 for 52 yards with 2 sacks. “I thought Garrett, at times, was spectacular,” Wilson said. “He started off red hot. He did some really good things for us. I felt at the back end, we needed a spark and something to get us going and add another dimension to our game. I thought Michael stepped in and gave those things to us as a football team. … Like last week, I’ll say to you, we’re going to use everything that we have.” LSU turned to Wilson after it fired Brian Kelly as coach Oct. 26. The decision followed a 49-25 home loss to now-No. 3 Texas A&M. However, the Tigers just dropped a third straight game against a ranked SEC opponent after they were ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. LSU (5-4, 2-4) dried up at the red zone at Alabama and settled to kick three field goals from 37 yards (twice) and 44 yards. Kicker Damian Ramos also missed a 30-yarder. The Tigers’ 23.67 points per game rank 14th in the SEC. Their 341.8 total yards per game sit at 105th in the country. SEC coaches voted Nussmeier to the preseason All-SEC first team, though his 1,927 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions are shrouded by a handful of others. Nussmeier passed for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns through 13 games last season. ESPN forecasted Nussmeier in August as a middle first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The outlet left him off its board in mid-October. “Have a lot of respect for Nussmeier and the way he’s played throughout his career,” Arkansas interim Coach Bobby Petrino said Monday. “Hasn’t had the type of year that he thought he would have, but he’s still a really good player.” Petrino said he isn’t acquainted with Wilson, who is in his second stint with the Tigers. The 52-year-old served as LSU’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2010-15, and rejoined the staff in 2022 to coach the running backs as an associate head coach. Petrino and Arkansas have encountered Van Buren, however, who started for Mississippi State last season in a 58-25 road win for the Razorbacks. The then-freshman completed 22 of 31 passes for 309 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 1 touchdown. “Quicker athletically leaving the pocket to get yards,” Petrino said. “Not that Nussmeier can’t run, because Nussmeier has done a really good job throughout his career of running and getting yards, too. Van Buren just has a little bit more suddenness and quickness to him. But I’ll bet they’ll be noncommittal the whole week, probably, and make us prepare for both of them.” Arkansas lost 33-24 to Auburn quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels and 38-35 to Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen and Kamario Taylor in its past two games. Like Wilson (0-1), Petrino (0-4) is winless with the interim tag. Regardless of who takes snaps, LSU’s receiving corps is guided by Kentucky transfer Barion Brown’s 41 receptions and 405 receiving yards. The position’s depth took a hit when Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson exited the Alabama game with a knee injury. Wilson said he was worried about the severity of the injury, though he said it doesn’t require a procedure. Anderson’s availability for Saturday is up in the air. LSU’s Whit Weeks, an All-SEC first-team linebacker last season, hasn’t played since Oct. 11, during a 20-10 win against South Carolina. The junior is dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle and the Tigers’ defense held its own without him against the Crimson Tide. The same can’t be said for the loss to Texas A&M. Wilson said he was also uncertain of Weeks’ status. “He wants to be back out there, but we won’t put him out there until he can protect himself and play at the level that allows him to be elite,” Wilson said. Whit’s older brother, linebacker West Weeks, leads LSU with 6.5 tackles for loss. The secondary’s 10 interceptions are second in the SEC to Mississippi State’s 11. Matt Byrne is the Bob Holt Razorback Reporter, named in honor of the longtime reporter who covered University of Arkansas sports. This position is funded by the ADG Community Journalism Project.
