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 starting linemen posted run blocking grades of less than 60, per Pro Football Focus, including both bookends. Only 31 of LSU's 99 rushing yards came before contact, meaning the running backs were averaging only 1.5 yards before a defender met them. The unit should continue to improve, but that's a red flag for a team that still has to face an SEC schedule.
Against a revamped USC defense, Emery showed a strong second effort and breakaway ability. He posted 32 yards after contact and broke three tackles during in his one and only appearance of 2024, giving the Tigers a safety valve for their inconsistent run blocking. His 39-yard breakaway run put the Tigers in a position to take over the game at the time.
Williams broke four tackles on his nine carries, but failed to go more than 12 yards. He only has 10 breakaway plays of more than 15 yards in his career, or on 5% of carries. Emery was a shade over 6%. For comparison, Edwards-Helaire had plays of 15+ yards on 10% of his runs in 2019. The Tigers have to do something to create that threat.
A star in the making
The good news is Nussmeier gives the Tigers a serious building block. In his first start as the full-time quarterback, he completed 76% of his passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an interception, but it was on the final drive with no choice but to throw into harm's way to give the Tigers a chance.
With a quarterback of Nussmeier's caliber, LSU has a chance to produce another top-ranked offense. During LSU's four scoring drives, he completed 17-of-23 passes and helped set up both touchdowns and field goals with pinpoint passing. On passes of more than 20 yards downfield, Nussmeier was 3-of-5 with a touchdown. He can make defenses pay.
But what Nussmeier doesn't bring to the table is a running threat, which almost makes him an oddity for a modern star college quarterback. He wasn't credited with a single rush attempt against USC, even on a sack. That aspect puts ever more onus on Nussmeier's arm to generate consistent offense for LSU.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan has plenty of background working with quarterbacks in the spread, and most of his best players at Louisiana Tech were not dual-threat passers. In fact, the Bulldogs had an Air Raid roster when Sloan joined Skip Holtz in Ruston.
Sloan's primary responsibility in the coming weeks -- when the Tigers play Nicholls, South Carolina and South Alabama -- is to find the right collection of running backs to play behind this line. But if LSU doesn't have the answers on its roster, it's time to lean on Nussmeier's arm.
The Tigers have silly talent to complement Nussmeier at wide receiver, including six players who caught at least two passes against USC. Sloan can't be afraid to spread the field, run quick game and let Nussmeier make big-time plays with his arm to give LSU its best chance to win in 2024.
