BATON ROUGE ? Backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has practiced more than usual with the first team this week as starter Matt Flynn has continued to miss work after injuring his right, throwing shoulder last week in the loss to Arkansas. "Matt Flynn took snaps, threw balls," Miles said after practice Wednesday. Asked if Flynn would play Saturday against Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, Miles said, "I think so. He's limited some, but he practiced today and threw the ball well." Miles said since it is the 13th week of the season and Flynn has played in 11 of 12 games that he could play Saturday without practicing very much. "Oh yeah, because we're not going to change anything," Miles said. "We're going to run the things that we run. And all he's got to do is be healthy and ready to play. That's the push for the week. And we'll give him enough so that he understands the changes and the little nuances that we're doing differently and make sure that he can throw those balls. We're trying to do that." On Monday in a teleconference with Tennessee reporters, Flynn was not sure of his status. "I don't know," he said. "It may limit me a little bit at the beginning of the week here in practice and stuff, but I'm not really sure right now what's going to happen." Flynn played through the first half of the season with a painful ankle injury and has been banged up throughout the season. Perrilloux, meanwhile, has not thrown a pass in a game since completing 2 of 4 for 37 yards with a 2-yard touchdown late in the Tigers' 58-10 win over Louisiana Tech on Nov. 10. Perrilloux did not play last week against Arkansas and only took snaps late in the Ole Miss game on Nov. 17. On the season, Perrilloux has completed 31 of 45 passes for 451 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception for a 199.96 efficiency rating. Asked how comfortable he is with Perrilloux playing more or even starting at quarterback Saturday, Miles said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now it's not our policy." Perrilloux, a sophomore from East St. John High outside New Orleans, has been a discipline problem for Miles since he arrived as one of the nation's top recruits in February of 2005. Perrilloux, 20, was suspended during the summer after a string of incidents, including getting cited by Baton Rouge Police for attempting to enter a gambling casino with false identification. He was suspended for the Alabama game on Nov. 3 after he was involved in a bar fight near campus. Perrilloux started the Middle Tennessee game this season on Sept. 15 when Flynn was sidelined with an ankle injury. Perrilloux completed 20 of 25 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Miles said Perrilloux has made progress. "It's through the year," he said. "Any time a guy takes the amount of snaps he has taken and gets full command of the offense. He's much more mature in football. Certainly, he's been through a season and understands what we're asking from him." Miles said Andrew Hatch, a sophomore walk-on transfer from Harvard, has received more work this week along with Perrilloux because of Flynn's injury. Hatch was Flynn's backup at Alabama, but he did not play. Flynn hurt his shoulder diving in for a two-point conversion to tie the score at 14 midway in the third quarter against Arkansas. He received treatment on the shoulder throughout the game and was even late returning to the field just before overtime. Flynn played better after the injury, though, as he was 7-of-22 for 50 yards in the first half. He finished the game 22-of-47 for 209 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Miles was asked if Flynn had any surgical procedures or tests on his shoulder this week. "Absolutely not," Miles said. "He had no other kind of invasive procedures in any way." Link To Original Article
