Records are meant to be broken. The long-time saying has rang true throughout history because...well...history is constantly changing, and records do nothing but support the theory. For OU's running back, Samaje Perine, he didn't need any philosopher telling him anything other than a single three letter word on Saturday against Kansas. That word? RUN.
The talented freshman running back that bulldozed his way through the Texas Tech defense two weeks ago, and proved why the Kansas Jayhawks are a basketball school and not a football school by running for an NCAA Division 1 record 427 yards in a 44-7 victory for the Sooners! The same week Samaje ran for 227 against Tech, up in Wisconsin, a stud running back with the name, Melvin Gordon, ran for 408 yards and broke the record that was held by former TCU running back, LaDainian Tomlinson for the last 15 years. So just for fun, Perine thought he'd outdo Gordon, and break the record for the second week in a row.
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Sooner running back, Samaje Perine (32), broke the NCAA record for most
rushing yards in a single game with 427 of them that came against Kansas in
a 44-7 shellacking of the Kansas Jayhawks, in Norman. |
With Perine proving to the entire nation that he's a major threat to any defense, the matchup in two weeks against the Oklahoma State Cowboys may get easier for the Sooners. The OU medical staff has issued that their season-opening starter, Trevor Knight, will miss his third week of practice during this week, and will most likely not play in the Bedlam Game on December 5th. Sure, he has another full week after this to recover, but with concussion-like symptoms and transient quadriplegia, the seriousness of the injury may keep him out for the remainder of the season. That means that freshman quarterback, Cody Thomas, will be at the helm again for OU, and with a woeful quarterback rating of 69.3 (a D-), the Sooners will look to rely on the powerful running of Perine. Thomas has only thrown 1 touchdown in 2 full games of playing time and has thrown 4 interceptions in that same span of time. With numbers like that, the OSU quarterback situation may have a weight lifted from them. In Stillwater, Mike Gundy is the talk of the town (as usual) because he pulled freshman phenom, Mason Rudolph's redshirt agains the Baylor Bears. Yes, OSU lost, but Rudolph racked up better numbers than Thomas has collected all season, in 1 game. To concern the crimson and creme faithful even more, Thomas has only played against Texas Tech and Kansas, while Rudolph played the same Baylor team that destroyed OU, 48-14. Plus, Baylor ranks 27th in overall defense when Kansas ranks 96th and Tech ranks 126th! So you just got done playing against two of the worst defenses in the Big 12, and can't throw for more yards than a true freshman did against Baylor? Most fans would worry about something like that, but when you can constantly run the ball for huge chunks of yards all game long, a passing attack isn't really necessary! So with 227 yards against Tech and a record-shattering 427 yards against Kansas, Perine proved that he is the go-to back for the Sooners for the rest of this season, and possibly for next season. The only reason that's not a fact and just a possibility is because OU has a (supposed) even better running back, Joe Mixon, who has been suspended all season.
Most people sit back and agree with the statement that Mixon could possibly be better, but with OU coming out in the spring and saying all these things about how good certain players are, those "certain players" haven't been as great on the field as advertised by the Sooner coaching staff. Examples? Michiah Quick, a wide receiver who hasn't been targeted very often, due to lack of playing time, which is funny, because the coaches were very excited about the freshman. Safety, Steven Parker, is also a good example of a freshman that was given high praise but hasn't proven it on the field (in a game) yet. So with this being said, as of right now, Perine is the best running back on this team, and will continue to be given the ball in mass quantities until someone proves that they are better (if that's even possible). As far as getting Perine the ball against Oklahoma State on December 5th, the statement might be easier said, then done. The Cowboys defense is way better than Texas Tech's and Kansas' combined and that will force the Sooners to rely on the unproven arm of Cody Thomas for most of the game. This, in fact, could make this year's Bedlam game the most interesting match-up between these two schools in the sense that two freshman quarterbacks will most likely be competing against each other on opposing sidelines. It will be interesting to see if the Sooners big offensive line can create holes for Samaje so that the pressure to perform at a high level can be lifted from Thomas' shoulders. Just something to think about, as the Sooners host the Cowboys at 2:30 CT on Fox Sports 1 on December 5th.
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