Two Gamecock QBs set to wear No. 11 this fall

 

Reprinted here in its entirety from the Anniston Star

By Al Muskewitz

 

 

JACKSONVILLE — Folks planning to watch Jacksonville State football games this year better pay close attention to the field lest they won't know who the Gamecocks have in the game at quarterback. LSU transfer Ryan Perrilloux is the undisputed starter — you don't bring in an SEC talent and NFL prospect to sit — but Gamecocks coach Jack Crowe plans to get true freshman Marques Ivory some experience as well. The trouble is both will wear No. 11. It's in the press guide; you could look it up.

It's OK by NCAA rules to have duplicate numbers on the roster, as long as the two players wearing them aren't in the game at the same time. Brandt Thomas even wore two different numbers last year, depending on which side of the ball he played. The Gamecocks promised Ivory he could wear No. 11 when they signed him last February. But how do you deny a program-saver like Perrilloux, who has always worn the number and signs his autograph distinctly with "11" where the two "L"s appear in his name? "Since we're never going to be in the game at the same time, we just said we'll both share it," Perrilloux said.

But numbers are such a personal thing. In the big leagues, players with lesser star power have been known to sell their uniform number to a team's incoming star. "We're going to work something out," Perrilloux said after being told that.

The dual numbers certainly will keep the record keepers on their toes. The Gamecocks say they already have a plan in place to separate the players in their statistical program, but home teams are responsible for keeping stats for the NCAA.

When the Gamecocks play on the road, they'll have to make their opponents and the NCAA aware of the situation and make the necessary corrections at midweek. That means Perrilloux's statistics won't always be correct when the nationwide statistical report is posted Sunday following the games. Perrilloux has been practicing with the Gamecocks since Friday, but anyone who wants to watch the quarterback work has to do it from a distance. Crowe closes practices to outsiders after the first 30 minutes to "avoid distractions." For the record, Perrilloux and Ivory aren't the only Gamecocks with a shared number this season. In the press guide, two freshmen defensive linemen, Jamison Wadley of Gadsden and Chris Lovett of Deatsville, have both been assigned 93.

 

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