Nuss is the Most Vilified Player in LSU History

At least since I started following us in the late 60s.

I saw Tommy Hodson get booed as a senior vs UF in '89 after throwing an int. LSU-UF 1989. We were preseason top-10 but the season just unraveled and Hodson (wrongfully IMO) bore the brunt of the criticism.

I saw fans cheer when Jarrett Lee got injured vs OM. LSU-OM 2008 (Jarrett Lee Injury). Bonus: Lee throws a perfect pass on the play before right in the hands of Richard Dickson who dropped it. But much like Hodson in '89, Lee became the focal point of our fans anger.

Later, Jordan Jefferson would assume that role. We blamed him for holding the ball too long when in fact that's how he was coached after the J. Lee pick-6 fest the year before. We stopped using the TE or throwing over the middle of the field to avoid ints. This was during those dark years of Les's patented pound-n-punt offense. But JJ got the blame.

But I think what we're seeing with Nuss dwarfs these. Some of the vitriol is motivated by NIL (he's getting big $$$ - which none of the above got). Some by his predecessors - Joe and Jayden. The were both 5th year seniors who made leaps after Y4. We expected Nuss to follow, even if not in degree but in kind. His Y4 #s were better than either. I expected improvement.

His last play in Tuscaloosa was the antithesis of what we saw from Joe & Jayden. That was really, really bad. It was 3rd & goal from the 13 (imagine that, 3rd and long again). Not sure how much it mattered to the game; we still made the FG. And TBH, that was his best possession of the game before that - made some good throws - downfield. Stayed in the pocket. Made throws. Nice drive. But that play was . . . (loss for words).

I'm old but i try to remember our players for their best moments and not their worst. Hodson brought us two SEC titles. Jarrett Lee was money on the last drives vs UTenn and UF in '10. JJ has two wins over Bama (Saban) as QB. Hope Nuss sticks it out and has a chance to redeem himself. I need it.