LSU running back John Emery is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn left ACL in practice, sources told The Advocate, and now the Tigers will have to move forward without their leading rusher from the season opener.
The injury marks another setback for Emery and leaves No. 18 LSU with a thin running back room. Emery, a former five-star recruit, suffered a torn right ACL last November. He left the team this offseason and entered the transfer portal, but he ultimately returned for a sixth season.
Emery rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries and added one catch for 10 yards in LSU’s 27-20 season-opening loss to Southern Cal. He provided a spark on the ground for the Tigers, who otherwise struggled to consistently run the ball. Emery had 52 yards rushing on LSU’s only touchdown drive of the second half.
“I know he's a big back and we see him as this battering ram kind of guy, but John's got really good vision,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said after the USC game. “The thing that he needs to continue to develop is the strength in the lower body. He gets fatigued easily. As he continues to get back from that knee, he’s going to be able to take multiple carries.”
What does Emery's injury mean for a rushing attack that already needed to improve moving forward? Here are some thoughts on what to expect from the rest of the position.
What now?
Without Emery, LSU has three scholarship running backs: sixth-year senior Josh Williams, sophomore Kaleb Jackson and freshman Caden Durham. Redshirt freshman Trey Holly is not with the team after he was arrested in February in relation to a shooting incident in Union Parish. Holly’s case has not been resolved.
LSU reworked its rushing attack in the offseason, wanting to lean on an experienced offensive line without dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Tigers rushed for 117 yards on 26 carries against USC, an average of 4.5 yards per rush.
But the running game was inconsistent. Even though they wanted to establish the run in the second half, the Tigers rushed for 3 yards in the fourth quarter.
“We have to be more efficient with our running game," Kelly said Tuesday. “Where I sit and what I want is, when it's third down, and everybody knows you want to run it, let's be creative in running the football, but let's execute at a high level. And we didn't execute at the level we're capable of executing."
The majority of the production came from Emery, who was not with the team this spring. Williams and Jackson will still be the top options without him, but LSU needs to get more from them.
Williams rushed for 33 yards on nine carries against USC, while Jackson rushed for 18 yards on six carries. They both averaged less than 4 yards per carry. Durham traveled to Las Vegas but did not play.
Williams has been a reliable player with 1,044 yards and 11 touchdowns. LSU coaches trust him for his pass blocking, knowledge of the offense and experience. Jackson flashed as a freshman with 165 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
“He was about 235 (pounds) in the spring, and we thought he was too heavy because he was not able to maintain a high level of workload," Kelly said of Jackson. "But all through summer and fall camp, his workload was outstanding at 235, and he was hitting 21 (miles per hour) in terms of speed. He’s a physical back. So, we feel like we’ve hit the right weight for him.”
More will be asked of Durham, a top-100 recruit who at least needs to spell Williams and Jackson.
LSU also could involve its wide receivers on jet sweeps and screens as an extension of the run game. Once against USC, junior receiver Zavion Thomas motioned into the backfield and took a handoff for 5 yards. Though not used against the Trojans, LSU worked on wide receiver screens this spring and in preseason practice.
LSU may have some time to figure out its running game without a ranked opponent currently on the schedule until Oct. 12 against Ole Miss. But even before Emery’s injury, Kelly said LSU needed to "accentuate" the running backs' respective strengths.
"They’re not all inside zone runners," Kelly said Tuesday. "They're not all guys that run a particular play well, and I think that that's what we're kind of navigating now."
