Perry Orth is feeling a little more pressure this week.
The South Carolina senior quarterback kept receiving videos from his mother, Anna, last Saturday. Anna was in Starkville to watch South Alabama beat Mississippi state 21-20 at Davis Wade Stadium. Perry’s younger brother, Evan, is a backup quarterback for the Jaguars.
Although his brother didn’t play, Perry joked that watching Evan and the Jaguars beat the Bulldogs has motivated him to do the same thing at 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) when South Carolina (1-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) plays at MSU (0-1, 0-0).
“Since he went down there and got them, I’ve got a little bit of an extra edge to go and get that win,” Perry said.
Perry led South Carolina to a 13-10 victory against Vanderbilt last Thursday in the season opener. After trailing 10-0 at halftime, Perry led the comeback and finished 11 of 19 for 152 yards. He also had five carries for 8 yards. Running back Deebo Samuel scored an 8-yard touchdown and Elliott Fry hit a 48-yard field goal and a 55-yard field goal with 35 seconds remaining.
Perry Orth started over freshman Brandon McIlwain, who was 5 of 11 for 35 yards. He also had seven carries for 29 yards.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp didn’t hesitate to name Orth the starter early in the week.
“Perry deserves to start the way he played the other night, especially in the second half,” Muschamp said Monday at his weekly news conference. “He played well in the first half. We had too many drops. We had some miscommunications up front. We had some miscommunications in the run game. We just didn’t do some things, but it wasn’t all Perry’s fault.”
Muschamp was impressed with Orth’s performance in the spring when he was healthy and the way he bounced back from surgery on a broken left collarbone to compete for the starting job in fall training camp. He also likes his ability to throw the ball in different situations.
After spending a semester at Florida State College in 2012 where he didn’t play football, Orth enrolled at South Carolina in January 2013 and walked on to the South Carolina football team. He saw action in one game in 2014 and started eight games last season.
“I think he’s a gritty kid,” MSU defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon said. “I bet people have been against him for a long, long time and he just keeps competing and keeps finding a way. I would imagine he’s a guy in that locker room that a lot of people respect and every time he goes out he’ll give it his all.”
Entering his final season, Perry was 144 of 264 for 1,934 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had 125 yards rushing on 54 carries.
MSU coach Dan Mullen called Perry a willing runner. He compared his running style to that of former MSU quarterback and current Dallas Cowboys starter Dak Prescott.
“Maybe not a dynamic runner, but somebody that’s going to go run, get tough yards, and do what you need to do within the system,” Mullen said. “He has experience, understands their system, what they’re trying, and can really execute their offense.”
Perry said he has talked to Evan about the MSU defense. He asked about the scheme and the personnel to get some idea of what to expect. Perry said Evan has been a big help.
Through the videos his mother sent, Perry heard and saw the cowbells. Vanderbilt wasn’t as loud as MSU is going to be, but Perry said he and his teammates are prepared for another tough environment.
“Any crowd noise is going to affect teams,” Orth said. “I’m not going sit here and say Mississippi State’s environment isn’t good because I know it is. I know it’s loud and it’s a tough place to play. We’ve played in big-time places, and it will be just another big road test in the SEC.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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