By RYAN ARENA
Sports Editor

One of the most heralded high school athletes to ever hail from LaPlace, Ryan Perrilloux traded in his Tiger stripes for Gamecock feathers this year, and successfully finished his first full season as a starting quarterback in 2008.

The former East St. John megastar began football season on a rocky road – Perrilloux was dismissed from the LSU football team by Tigers’ Coach Les Miles in May. After careful consideration, he opted to move on to Jacksonville State in Alabama (a Football Championship Subdivision School – formerly Division 1-AA).

The junior passer made a definite impact in his first season with the team. He led the Gamecocks to a second place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 8-3 overall record. Jacksonville State finished 22nd nationally in the final FCS Coaches poll, and 23rd in the Sports Network’s final poll.

Perrilloux was a duel threat, as he’s been throughout his career. He completed 63% of his passes for 2318 yards and 19 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Perrilloux added 368 yards and seven scores on the ground, giving him 26 total scores for the season. He formed a solid connection with Maurice Dupree, who proved to be his favorite target through the air. Dupree caught 49 passes for 799 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Under Perrilloux, Jacksonville State won its final three games of the year, giving the Gamecocks a successful base to build on for next season.