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Friday, May 2, 2008
Miles made right call on Perrilloux
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LSU coach Les Miles made a tough, but correct, decision Friday when he kicked problem-child quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team.
Perrilloux, who was called the next Vince Young when he signed with LSU, has never gone very long without being in trouble with the law or in the doghouse of the head coach.
His athletics gifts were off the charts but his leadership, something you have to have to play quarterback in the SEC, was non-existent. He was serving his third suspension under Miles. He was suspended for last November’s big game with Alabama. He came back and had to start the SEC championship game because of an injury to starter Matt Flynn. Perrilloux led the Tigers to the championship in Atlanta and was named the MVP of the game.
Miles made the right decision because, given yet another chance to fulfill his vast potential, Perrilloux “didn’t fulfill his obligations as a student-athlete.” In other words, Perrilloux was given a set of goals he had to meet to be reinstated to the football team. He failed to do them.
The decision may cost LSU an SEC championship. Redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and junior Andrew Hatch are the likely quarterbacks. With Perrilloux, the Tigers were going to be good enough to win the SEC West. Without him, who knows? Right now you’d have to go with Auburn in the West, particularly since the game with LSU will be played at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
But sometimes short-term success must be sacrificed for the long-term good of the program. Miles has a national championship and a new contract that pays him $3.75 million per year. He is secure now as any SEC coach can ever be.
LSU may lose a game or two this year because of this decision. But the future of LSU football will be better for it.
Why the fuss over two more bowls?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s “Free-Wheeling Friday” again and, not that we’re counting, only 117 days until the season openers on Aug. 28.
The floor is open for everything. Here are my five topics for Friday:
1. Why the fuss over two more bowls? The NCAA approved two new bowls on Wednesday bringing the number to 34. Predictably, the outrage from some fans quickly followed. My question is: Why?
Granted, these bowls will probably not be well attended and will not draw a lot of viewers on television. But understand that these bowls are not created for the college football fan at large. They are created for the specific benefit of the two conferences involved, the host city, and for television, which needs the programming that time of year. If those four parties are happy with the arrangement, why should any of the rest of us care? We either watch or we don’t watch. I understand if fans aren’t interested in the game. What I don’t understand is the anger.
2. Let’s learn from Lofton: The news about Tennessee basketball player Chris Lofton should make all of us take a breath the next time we’re tempted to rip into a college athlete. Lofton, we learned yesterday, underwent radiation treatments for testicular cancer last year and that had an impact on his play in the first half of last season. Lofton asked that his medical condition be kept confidential and that is certainly his right. The internet makes it easy brutalize people with no consequences. Hopefully this episode will make people think first. But I’m not counting on it.
3. Tennessee’s game at UCLA looks different now: Patrick Cowan, who was going to be the starting quarterback at UCLA, is now out for the season after surgery to repair his left knee. Cowan suffered the injury in a non-contact drill. Ben Olson, Cowan’s backup, broke a bone in his foot during the same practice. The word I get is that first-year coach Rick Neuheisel was really counting on Cowan and doesn’t think Olson can run his offense as effectively. The odds just improved that Tennessee will go to UCLA and win on Sept. 1.
4. Historic day for South Carolina: The University of South Carolina has one player, 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, in the College Football Hall of Fame. Now they have a coach. Lou Holtz, who took the Gamecocks to back-to-back New Year’s Day bowls, was named to the Hall of Fame on Thursday. Yes, it did not end well for Holtz at South Carolina. But the fact is that Holtz took the Gamecocks from 0-11 in 1999 to beating Ohio State twice on Jan. 1 the next two seasons. He is a Hall of Fame coach and now South Carolina can claim him.
5. Cannon gets another chance: The new Hall of Fame class also proved that time heals all wounds. LSU’s Billy Cannon was responsible for one of the defining moments in the history of college football when he returned a punt 89 yards against Ole Miss in 1959. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
Cannon was originally named to the Hall of Fame in 1983 but his induction was rescinded after he was charged and later pleaded guilty to taking part in a counterfeiting ring. He did prison time but has since turned his life around and now serves as the head of dentistry in a prison.
We all deserve a second chance. It was nice to see Cannon get his.
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