LSU football: John Emery II shows he's ready to become a bigger part of offense
The LSU passing offense was the biggest factor in the Tigers’ national championship run last season.
It has been the biggest focal point in 2020 because virtually everything has changed.
But the attention-getting part of the offense in Saturday night’s 41-7 victory at Vanderbilt was the running game.
Sure, Myles Brennan had a big night – 23-of-37, 337 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception. So did Terrace Marshall Jr. and Jontre Kirklin, with 2 touchdown catches each.
But that success was predicated upon the success of the running game – the blocking and, most significantly, the belated coming-out party for sophomore running back John Emery II.
Emery, a highly-touted recruit who was expected to be part of a running back-by-committee approach last season, was the team’s fifth-leading rusher and merely an afterthought during the championship run.
He was No. 3 in the pecking order for the 2020 season opener against Mississippi State.
But that changed against Vanderbilt. So did the running game. And that helped jump-start the passing game.
Emery had 103 yards on 12 rushes and scored a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard game, as he accumulated just 85 fewer yards than he had all of last season.
When starting running back Chris Curry missed the game because of an undisclosed illness, it created more opportunities for Tyrion Davis-Price and Emery. Davis-Price got the first crack at the Commodores defense, but Emery took over on the Tigers’ second possession.
He seized the opportunity and sent a message that he was going to be a catalyst for the running game, the passing game and the entire offense.
Emery rushed for 14 yards, caught a Brennan pass for 11 yards and ran for 17 yards to set up a 28-yard touchdown pass from Brennan to Kirklin.
On the Tigers’ second touchdown drive, Emery had runs of 17 and 7 yards to set up Brennan’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Marshall.
On the Tigers’ third touchdown drive, Emery had runs of 8 and 16 yards to set up Brennan’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Marshall, and LSU had a 21-7 halftime lead.
Emery and the running game provided a starting point for all three touchdown drives in the first half. His runs got the Tigers on the move, moved the chains and created comfortable circumstances for Brennan and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
Ensminger, Brennan and the receivers took advantage of the opportunities presented by Emery – and the offensive line.
In the second half, the defense and the special teams – primarily kicker Cade York and punt returner Derek Stingley Jr. – methodically extended the lead.
Then it was Emery’s turn to stop setting up everyone else for the finish and do some finishing of his own, breaking free for a 12-yard touchdown run that pushed him past 100 yards and completed the scoring.
Davis-Price is still a big part of the running game, and Curry could be back as soon as next week’s home game against Missouri. So there’s no reason to think Emery’s breakout game Saturday will disband the running back committee the way Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s breakout junior season ended last year’s.
But Emery appears to be the biggest home-run threat among the three runners. Curry and Davis-Price seem more physical, and both are effective. Emery is physical enough as well as fast and explosive.
Brennan and the passing game are not going to do what Joe Burrow and the passing game did last season.
LSU has to be more balanced, and this season’s running game has to set up this year’s passing game. Last year’s passing game could pretty much do whatever it needed no matter what, and the running game went along for the ride.
When the running game does what it did Saturday night – 161 yards on 32 carries – it will be much easier for the passing game to do what it did Saturday night – 337 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In fact, in 2020 the running game is going to be required to help the passing game more than was necessary in 2019.
It looks like John Emery II is ready to be a big part of making that happen.