Oklahoma football: Samaje Perine runs rampant in Morgantown

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Before Saturday’s contest, Samaje Perine only had 32 carries and 177 rushing yards in three games. Perine doubled his 2014 statistics and then some in just one night after running wild in a back-and-forth win over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Oklahoma Sooners, now ranked third in the Amway Coaches Poll, were without Keith Ford in Morgantown. However, Perine might have been exactly what Oklahoma needed. A secret weapon, if you will.

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Going in to Saturday, not too many people outside of Norman and OU’s first three 2014 opponents knew about this true freshman running back. Though, Samaje Perine made sure the rest of the country knew who he was after balling out on a national stage in a hostile environment.

Perine found the endzone four times, each as fun to watch as the next. He gashed West Virginia’s defense for 242 yards on 34 carries.  And while Oklahoma needed a little trickery to ignite their offense, Oklahoma’s halftime adjustments proved they were the better squad Saturday night.

“Samaje was just outstanding,” head coach Bob Stoops said via Sooner Sports. “You know about how powerful and strong he is, but he has great vision. He had a sensational night. I’m proud of the offensive line and the big blocks that they gave us. He’s a strong young man with great stamina. He had great offseason conditioning. He’s powerful, and he works at his conditioning.”

While Perine grabbed the attention of the country, Oklahoma’s starting quarterback Trevor Knight seemed off his game. He had zero passing touchdowns, though Knight was on the receiving end of OU’s initial touchdown where he caught a pass from Durron Neal.

Perine’s performance thankfully compensated for Trevor’s quiet night. West Virginia just couldn’t stop the unteachable running style of Samaje Perine. I mean, you can tell a player to put on 243 pounds of weight and ask them to be as quick and as hard to tackle as Perine. But Perine is a gifted young player who has the potential for a special career at Oklahoma.

He’s only a true freshman, and the Big 12 defenses can’t be excited for Samaje Perine to develop and get even better. He’s making plays, and if a #32 jersey pops up somewhere in Norman in the near future, don’t be surprised.

Oklahoma has a bye week to recover from its road trip to Morgantown. Waiting for them in week six will be another road test. This time, Oklahoma will travel south to the home of the TCU Horned Frogs.

With Keith Ford questionable for the next few weeks, Oklahoma may have to feed Samaje Perine yet again.

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