Midway through the third quarter of a 27-20 loss against USC, LSU’s offense started to find its groove. Running back John Emery Jr. was right in the middle of it.
Over a four-play stretch, Emery had runs of 39, 10 and 3 to put LSU into the red zone and set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to receiver Aaron Anderson. At 78 yards over seven plays, it was the most efficient and effective drive of the day for LSU. Unfortunately, it was the final game Emery will play in this year after suffering a torn left ACL during practice, just one year after suffering the same injury in his other knee.
Emery led the Tigers with 61 yards rushing on only 10 carries. Other running backs Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson mustered only 47 total yards on 14 carries for 3.4 yards per carry. With Emery now sidelined, LSU’s offense gets a lot more complicated.
Over the past two seasons, running back rushing took a backseat thanks to the dual-threat ability of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Last season alone, Daniels totaled more than 1,100 yards rushing, nearly twice as much as top running back Logan Diggs — who later transferred to Ole Miss.
LSU hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard running back since 2021. They haven’t had a 1,000-yard running back to go over 5.0 yards per carry since Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the national championship team in 2019. With Emery now sidelined, the pressure is on Nussmeier and first-year offensive coordinator Joe Sloan.
Inconsistent personnel
LSU was expected to field the top offensive lines in college football this season, largely thanks to the first-round tackle duo of Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. Against USC, the unit was exceptionally poor at creating space for the run.
Three of LSU’s five…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/lsu-rb-john-emery-jr-s-injury-puts-even-more-pressure-on-tigers-qb-garrett-nussmeier-passing-game/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2024-09-05 19:34:52
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
