BATON ROUGE – A trio of LSU players – quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, linebacker Whit Weeks, and defensive end Bradyn Swinson – have been recognized as SEC Players of the Week for their performance in the 29-26 overtime win over No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
Nussmeier earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Weeks was tabbed as the league’s defensive player of the week and Swinson the defensive lineman of the week. The honor is the second for Nussmeier this year, while Swinson garnered his third player of the week honor in 2024.
Nussmeier, a junior, directed the Tigers on a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter and then hit Kyren Lacy with a 25-yard TD pass on LSU’s first play in overtime to secure the win over the Rebels.
Nussmeier, who leads the SEC in touchdown passes with 18, completed 22-of-51 passes for 337 yards and three TDs in the overtime win. After the Tigers fell behind 23-16 with 3:15 to play, Nussmeier led LSU on a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped with a 23-yard TD pass to Aaron Anderson on fourth-and-5 to tie the game at 23-23.
In seven career starts, Nussmeier has led the Tigers to fourth quarter comebacks three times, including a road victory over South Carolina earlier this year and the ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin.
Earlier on that possession, Nussmeier converted a fourth-and-6 situation with a 14-yard completion to Mason Taylor that kept LSU’s chances for the win alive. Nussmeier also rushed for a pair of first downs in the game as LSU overcame a 10-0 deficit to beat Ole Miss for the eighth straight time in Tiger Stadium.
Weeks recorded a career-best 18 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble, in an inspiring performance that held Ole Miss to only three field goals in the second half and overtime. Ole Miss entered the contest averaging 44.0 points a contest.
Weeks’ forced fumble with less than a minute to go in second quarter led to an LSU field goal and pulled the Tigers to within 17-13 at halftime. He also sacked Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart for a 6-yard loss on final play of regulation, sending game to overtime.
Swinson also tallied a career-high eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, and batted down two passes in the victory. As a unit, LSU sacked Dart six times.
The victory propelled LSU up to No. 8 in the national rankings as the Tigers improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. LSU returns to action on Saturday, traveling to face Arkansas (4-2, 2-1 SEC) in Fayetteville.
LSU’s 2024 SEC Player of the Week Honors
Game Player Honor
South Carolina DE Bradyn Swinson SEC Defensive Player of the Week
UCLA QB Garrett Nussmeier SEC Offensive Player of the Week
UCLA DE Bradyn Swinson SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week
Ole Miss QB Garrett Nussmeier SEC Offensive Player of the Week
Ole Miss LB Whit Weeks SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Ole Miss DE Bradyn Swinson SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week