05/15/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - EX-LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is in search of team. And Jacksonville State is in need of a quarterback.
So who cares about the suspensions, legal issues and failed drug tests in this mercurial athlete's past? Just grab your shotgun and proceed to a marriage of convenience.
Jacksonville State offered the former national high school player of the year a scholarship during his visit to the Alabama campus on Tuesday, and Perrilloux announced he had accepted that offer on Wednesday.
The Gamecocks were one of a multitude of FCS programs that lined up to court the talented but troubled player.
LSU coach Les Miles has already granted Perrilloux, who has two years of eligibility left, and Jacksonville State the release needed to complete the transaction.
JSU dismissed talented senior starter Cedric Johnson a couple of months back for "violating team rules," but now coach Jack Crowe and his staff are willing to jump from the frying pan and into the fire with Perrilloux.
When Johnson was kicked off of the team, the Gamecocks were left without a scholarship player at quarterback, so the presence of Perrilloux stands to greatly improve JSU's chances of winning an Ohio Valley Conference title, or reaching the NCAA playoffs.
If Perrilloux doesn't ruin his new team's chemistry first.
Even if Crowe had reconsidered the scholarship offer, there were as many as 25 FCS teams waiting in line for a chance to woo the signal-caller.
Perrilloux had originally planned a trip to Mississippi next week to visit Jackson State, another school in desperate straits at quarterback. He had already taken a trip to Alabama A&M, and it seems that just about all of the SWAC is lining up to wine and dine a player who once boasted he would be the first player to win FOUR Heisman Trophies.
Someone should have told him that Ohio State running back Archie Griffin was the only player to win that prestigious award more than once. Now Perrilloux will cast his eyes on the Walter Payton Award, an honor that no one has won more than once.
Sam Houston State raised eyebrows a couple of years back when it brought in quarterback Rhett Bomar, the centerpiece of an extra benefits scandal at Oklahoma, along with offensive lineman J.D. Quinn (now at Montana). But Bomar's mistakes paled in comparison to Perrilloux's background, and Bomar has shown himself to be genuinely contrite and regretful for his past failings.
I'm all for giving a youngster a fresh start and a second chance, but at what point do you throw away good sense and proceed with a win-at-all-costs attitude?
It is easy to find this type of attitude every day at the FBS level. But when you start to see FCS teams lowering their standards, someone needs to stop and take notice.
Perrilloux is a kid that was expected to star for the defending BCS champion, but got into so much trouble that those Bayou Tigers felt it was best to separate themselves from him. If a team at LSU's level gets rid of a kid like this, what does that say about the baggage he will bring to another program?
I remember a few years back when Marshall, never the most integrous of programs, brought in a troubled athlete who even Notre Dame and Florida State didn't want. Randy Moss spurred the Thundering Herd to the 1996 I-AA national championship, but not without his share of off-field incidents.
No one is expecting Perrilloux to lead Jacksonville State or some other FCS squad to those kind of heights, but the risk of damaging his new team is definitely something to worry about.
Still, there are obviously coaches throughout the subdivision that will roll those loaded dice and pray they don't come up snake eyes. Such is the temptation of winning.
THE NUMBERS GAME
Die-hard FCS fans can tell you that San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson threw 43 touchdown passes with just one interception. They can tell you that Georgia Southern has a record six championship flags hanging in Paulson Stadium, and that Alcorn State's Steve McNair passed for 14,496 yards.
But I learned some other stats recently that caused me to step up and take notice. The chances of someone finding a perfect match for a blood marrow donor are just one in 80,000. Only about 250 matches are made in a given year.
A couple of weeks back, I participated in the blood marrow donor program at Villanova University. It was as simple as filling out a few forms and having a swab of my cheek taken.
Over the past 16 years, Villanova football coach Andy Talley has hosted bone marrow testing drives, resulting in several thousand potential donors being tested and entered into the national bone marrow registry.
This year, Talley expanded his efforts by partnering with the Fox Chase Bone Marrow Transplant program. Calling their partnership the First and Goal Program, Talley and Fox Chase were able to talk eight other football programs into holding testing during their spring football games.
Other schools to get involved included Penn, Harvard, Massachusetts, Northeastern, New Hampshire, Maine and Wagner from the FCS ranks and one FBS program - Temple. Talley is hopeful that more schools, particularly ones from other regions of the country, will get involved in this simple but important program in the future.
In 2006, Villanova kicker Joe Marcoux learned he was a perfect match for a cancer victim. That December, Marcoux donated some of his blood marrow to help extend the life of the woman.
Hopefully, there will be plenty more stories like this, as Talley continues his work in promoting this much-needed program.
<< Nationals' Johnson heads to DL again
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have placed oft-
injured first baseman Nick Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a torn
tendon in his right wrist, the team announced Thursday.
Johnson, who missed the
<< Brewers P Riske lands on DL
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher David Riske
has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow,
the team announced Thursday.
Riske left Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles
<< Brewers ink Braun to record-setting extension
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have signed outfielder
Ryan Braun to a record-setting eight-year contract that sets the bar for
players with three years or less of major league experience.
The deal, worth a re
<< Phils send out Hamels in hopes of gaining series win from Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Cole Hamels will try for a fourth straight start
without a loss tonight, when the Philadelphia Phillies host the Atlanta Braves
in the finale of a three-game set between National League East Division rivals
at Citi
Dodgers 3B DeWitt scratched from lineup >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Blake
DeWitt was a late scratch from the lineup for Thursday's game against the
Milwaukee Brewers after experiencing lower back pain.
Everyday catcher Russell Ma
Barcelona and MLS establish multi-year partnership >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced Thursday it has
entered into a multi-year partnership with Barcelona, one of the world's most
popular and celebrated professional soccer clubs.
The new, five-year partnership -
Coburn, Roberts out for Game 4 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn and
Pittsburgh forward Gary Roberts will miss tonight's Game 4 of the Eastern
Conference finals at the Wachovia Center.
Coburn took a puck to the face early
Queen Justine bids farewell >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of tennis' greatest champions abruptly
called it a career this week, as Justine Henin decided she'd had enough of the
tennis lifestyle at only 25 years of age.
Much like Bjorn Borg in the early 1980s,
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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