Perrilloux absent again

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Apr 1, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The wait for Ryan Perrilloux continued Monday and may have reached a new level of frustration for LSU football fans and Tigers coach Les Miles.

After nearly a week of anticipation, Perrilloux’s return to the practice field never materialized Monday when LSU returned to the field for the last of three workouts leading up to the Spring Game on Saturday.

Athletic media relations director Michael Bonnette said the junior quarterback’s continuing absence is the result of unfilled obligations.

“He has not fulfilled some obligations that were set by Coach Miles in order to return to practice,” Bonnette said. “He has not regained practice privileges and will not until he fulfills the requirements set by Coach.”

Neither Miles nor Perrilloux was available for comment Monday.

Perrilloux has spent much of the spring semester in Miles’ doghouse after a series of missteps, including missing the first team meeting after the Tigers’ 38-24 victory over Ohio State in the 2007 BCS Championship Game.

The ultra-talented 6-foot-3, 222-pound quarterback also apparently missed team workouts as well as classes, finally prompting Miles to suspend him in mid-February.

That suspension was lifted last Monday when the rest of the LSU football players returned from spring break. Miles said last week that Perrilloux had some off-field issues to take care off — ostensibly conditioning to complete, as well as academic work.

So, it appears that LSU will go through the rest of the spring with redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and junior Andrew Hatch sharing snaps with the first-team offense. Both had 10 completions for just under 100 yards in a scrimmage on Saturday, but neither has taken a meaningful snap in a Division I college game.

As Matt Flynn’s backup in 2007, Perrilloux played a key role in the Tigers’ national crown with 694 passing yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He also ran for 207 yards and two scores, and was magnificent in two starting assignments when Flynn was injured.

Against Middle Tennessee State, Perrilloux completed 20-of-25 passes for a career-best 298 yards and three scores. And when Flynn was unable to go in the SEC Championship Game, Perrilloux stepped in and connected on 20-of-30 passes for 243 yards and a TD to help guide the Tigers to a 21-14 triumph that secured a spot in the BCS game.