LSU may have just tossed a Hail Mary to the NCAA in its bid to find a quarterback for the Jan. 4 Texas Bowl appearance against Kansas State.

With starter Max Johnson in the NCAA transfer portal, and backup Max Nussmeier wanting to redshirt, the pickings are pretty slim — two freshmen walk-ons.

But interim head coach Brad Davis said Tuesday that LSU is appealing to the NCAA to let Nussmeier play in the game without forfeiting his redshirt season.

“We’re working through some things right now to be able to have him play for us and still maintain his redshirt,” Davis said. “That’s something obviously that’s in process. If that were denied — for whatever reason — we have some contingencies in place.”

The NCAA rule seems pretty clear: players are allowed to appear in four games without burning their redshirt season.

Nussmeier’s only significant playing time came when he took over for Johnson and played all but the opening two series of the Tigers’ 16-13 overtime loss to Arkansas on Nov. 13.

He was 18 for 31 for 179 yards and a touchdown in that game but also threw the ill-advised interception in overtime that paved the way for the Razorbacks’ victory.

But that was his fourth — and last game — to appear in after doing mop-up work in three others.

Davis said the NCAA had given LSU a timeline for its decision, although he didn’t share the Tigers’ argument for what the exemption entailed.

LSU spent much of the season massaging Nussmeier’s playing time with the idea of redshirting him.

It was before the ULM game that Nussmeier and his father, Dallas Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, told LSU coaches not to worry about the redshirt.

But after that game they expressed the wish to preserve his redshirt season.

As of Tuesday, Nussmeier was taking snaps as if he’ll play in the bowl game.

“We have a multitude of quarterbacks during practice, Garrett being one of them,” Davis said.

The others, presumably, are freshmen walk-ons Matt O’Down and Tavion Faulk, neither of whom have taken a snap in college.

Senior wide receiver Jontre Kirklin, a high school quarterback at Lutcher, reportedly has stepped in to play quarterback for the LSU scout team when the Tigers were due to face a highly mobile quarterback.

“We will be able to execute the offense,” Davis said.