A First-Hand Look at Ryan Perrilloux's Ohio Valley Conference Debut

Embattled former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux made his debut in the Ohio Valley Conference on Saturday, playing quarterback for Jacksonville State University, the preseason favorite to win the OVC.

His debut was against Eastern Illinois University. While the Panthers aren't exactly Georgia or Auburn, they're no slouch as far as OVC or Division I Championship Subdivision teams go.

As a student at EIU, I saw Perrilloux's debut first-hand, and it was quite obvious early on that the troublesome quarterback looked like a man amongst boys playing in the OVC. EIU had beaten the Gamecocks each of the past three seasons and entered the game ranked No. 20 in the Nation in the Division I Championship Subdivision.

Perrilloux often looked like a "video game quarterback" against a usually very solid EIU defense. He would take the snap and if his first read wasn't open, he would scramble around until a receiver got open and hit him with a perfect pass. He dissected the Panthers' defense time and time again and beat them with both his arm and his feet.

At one point in the first half, JSU was leading 7-0, and after driving from their own one-yard line, Perrilloux leaded the Gamecocks into Panther territory where after a failed option play, Jacksonville State faced a third-and-goal from the 17-yard line.

Perrilloux took the snap and rolled to his left, where he met Panthers' defensive end and OVC preseason defensive player of the year Pierre Walters.

Walters appeared to wrap up Perrilloux for a sack and third down stop. However, Perrilloux threw Walters aside, made a couple of moves, and scrambled to the end zone where he dove in for a touchdown, killing any momentum Eastern had.

It was more of the same for Perrilloux as the game progressed. He finished with a season-high 281 yards on 20-of-25 passing with a TD and rushed for two on the game. JSU took a 21-0 lead into halftime and held on for a 23-10 victory in a game that was not nearly as close as the score.

Perrilloux is clearly a difference-maker for the Gamecocks, who were projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the OVC until his arrival.

Watching him play makes one realize what a shame it was that he was so selfish at LSU. He reportedly missed several practices and team meetings during his time in Baton Rouge and got caught trying to use a fake ID in a casino, leading to his dismissal.

Fans only got to see a glimpse of his potential at LSU, several thrilling moments, including a performance in the SEC Championship Game last fall that earned him game MVP honors. Watching him play on Saturday was similar to seeing Daunte Culpepper at Central Florida years ago.

His off-the-field issues may make teams think twice about drafting him when his time in college is done, but he clearly has the skills.

As I said before, playing Eastern Illinois University is light-years different from playing in the SEC, but NFL scouts will see him shred OVC defenses for the next couple of years, and it's likely he will get an opportunity at some point down the road.

It's just a shame that we can't see him in the national spotlight anymore, because he's truly a special talent.