There were high hopes for former five-star running back John Emery Jr in th Jake Peetz offense. The expectation being that Peetz would use Emery in similar regard that he used Christian McCaffrey with the Carolina Panthers. That is now out the window.
Emery has missed the first two games of the season due to an academic issue and head coach Ed Orgeron previously stated that it was a week-to-week thing. On Monday the head coach announced that Emery is done for the rest of the season, a massive blow to an offense struggling to run the football.
The team has used fellow junior running back and 2019 signee, Tyrion Davis-Price. He has been hampered with injuries during camp but started both games for LSU this season. In two games he has accumulated just 68 yards on 21 carries.
The offense recently used Armoni Goodwin and Corey Kiner in the run game as well, with similar results. There is also Josh Williams. Kiner scored the first rushing touchdown of the season against the McNeese Cowboys on Saturday night.
It appears that those four running backs will likely have to carry the load after being dealt a blow with the Emery news. The only other back that could be in the mix is Tre Bradford, who re-enrolled after leaving Oklahoma a few weeks back. Orgeron stated that he expects Bradford to be eligible for the game on Saturday.
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