LSU is expected to be without a key piece of the offense for the rest of the season after an injury sustained at practice.

According to Wilson Alexander with The Advocate, running back John Emery Jr. sustained a torn ACL in practice on Tuesday. The injury is expected to keep Emery sidelined for the rest of the 2024 season.

Emery appeared in 7 games a season ago before sustaining a torn ACL against Florida that also derailed his season.

The blow is undoubtedly a key one to an LSU team that rushed for just 113 yards in the season opener against USC. The carries were split in the backfield, but Emery was the most productive of that group against the Trojans.

Emery led LSU with 10 carries for 61 yards in the season opener. Without Emery available, the touches in the backfield are likely to be distributed between Josh Williams (9 carries, 33 yards in the opener) and Kaleb Jackson (5 carries for 14 yards).

Emery has been at LSU dating back to the Tigers’ historic 2019 national championship season. He has over 1,100 yards in his career and was averaging 5 yards per carry entering 2024.

We will see how the Tigers respond in Week 2 and throughout the season, but it is a tough blow after already losing a tough game in the opener.