By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Welcome to our 4th ever season-ending top 10 performers list, with links right here to our past 2019, 2020, and 2021 top 10's, we now hit our 2022 final season ending calibration.
With a new Head Coach in Brian Kelly and his entirely revamped staff, wildly different approach or philosophy from prior head man Ed Orgeron, while nearly 25% of their teammates and 2021 coaches exited amid Kelly's transition, it's a major sense of pride to see so many Tigers excel in 2022....in fact, we were forced to leave off 3 Tigers who could've easily fit on this list.
We will list those three names at the bottom of part II when the top 10 countdown concludes....but for now, get into this, get yourself relaxed, drink something warm, eat something good, jive on our vibe and take a dive into the ultimate 2022 breakdown:
10. JOHN EMERY JR
328 Rushing Yards
-208 After Contact
70 Carries
5 Rushing TDs
15 Broken Tackles
126 Receiving Yards
15 Targets
12 Catches
2 Receiving TDs
Some may have considered Emery's career done and over after news of his 2 game suspension to start 2022....some were saying "this kid can't stop hurting his future" among all other kinds of ridiculous and uninformed statements.
What they didn't realize?
Emery Jr was already months ahead of where anyone thought he was....academically and athletically.
Though he still had to kick off the rust, when it comes to his supernatural blurry burst of pace, the former Destrehan 5 star found his groove by the end of 2022.
His touchdowns led directly to wins over Auburn and Florida, while he also caught a tone-setting touchdown in a strong showing during the win over Alabama, and topped it off by way of 3 rushing scores against A&M, remaining one of the only Tigers to stand up and be counted throughout a torrid loss.
Yes, Emery never eclipsed 100 yards in rushing or receiving during any single game, however we always expected Emery to receive few touches within this offensive setup, and of course due to his opening 2 game absence due to academic witchunting by the NCAA.
The question was always "what can John do with the touches he's given...here in year 4 as a Tiger, year 3 on the field??
Yes, we must point out his 4 fumbles on the season cost LSU and made our defense work harder than necessary, while eliminating carries for himself on the call sheet.
Still, Emery was effective with 7 total touchdowns, 208 rushing yards after contact, 15 missed tackles forced, 8 rushes over 10 yards, earning 17 first downs, all as he caught 12 of 15 targets his way, becoming the true dual threat out of Frank Wilson's running backs room.
Regardless of the fact he must absolutely learn to take care of the football, John enjoyed a springboard campaign...one which could jettison him to the superstardom we all pictured in 2023.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
©️ 2022 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
Comments