There's only one official "flu game," but LSU's Harold Perkins did his best to add another entry this week in a win over Arkansas.
Perkins was throwing up prior to the game, head coach Brian Kelly said. He made sure to remind Perkins prior to kickoff that "MJ threw up when he had his greatest game."
His response: "Who's MJ?"
He can be forgiven for making his head coach feel old, though, considering he went out and logged an LSU record-tying 4 sacks. He also forced a pair of fumbles, the second of which ended the Razorbacks' last-gasp drive. The Tigers ran out the clock for a 13-10 victory as they attempt to clinch the SEC West crown.
"I don't think there's enough superlatives to talk about this young man as a true freshman," Kelly said.
The true freshman tied Chuck Wiley, who set the record with a 4-sack game against South Carolina way back in 1995. It's more of what's been seen from the remarkable true freshman all season. He's been featured in a QB spy role and has flummoxed a number of SEC quarterbacks, including Alabama's Bryce Young a week earlier. In total he's got 52 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 7.5 sacks to lead the team in a limited role.
"No problem," the coach said, simply, "four sacks."
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Perkins was given the game ball, Kelly said.
His emergence has been a major piece of an impressive and hard-hitting LSU defense that always seems to get better as the game goes on. Kelly said his ability to drop in coverage and be "gap conscious" has made it much easier to get him on the field. With the win the Tigers remain in the catbird seat of the SEC West.
"We're in a different realm," Kelly said. "Now we're, we're being hunted, and we're gonna get everybody's best shot. And they just, they understand that."