Oklahoma Football: Lincoln Riley’s Running Back Conundrum

Dec 29, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) runs the ball as the Clemson Tigers beat the Oklahoma Sooners 40-6 in the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Now that 2014 is in the books, the OU football coaching staff knows they have a budding superstar in Samaje Perine. That’s what 1,703 rushing yards and a 21 campaign will do for a player’s résumé.

Perine ran with an incredible blend of power and speed that was a joy to behold (well, maybe not so much for defenders trying to tackle him). Now with junior Alex Ross returning and with super-recruit Joe Mixon all cleared to play, OU faces a true running back conundrum in 2015 as the coaching staff figures out how to manage the wealth of backfield talent.

Unfortunately, Perine’s campaign was arguably the lone bright spot in what rapidly devolved into a lost season. Because of the 2014 debacle, Bob Stoops shook up his coaching staff and brought in former East Caroline offensive whiz-kid Lincoln Riley to take over the reins of the offense, bring back the Air Raid and restore some much needed consistency to the Sooners’ attack.

So, even though many in Sooner Nation are overjoyed at the infusion of new blood into the coaching staff, there is also considerable concern about how Riley’s Air Raid offense will impact Perine’s numbers. In fact, many observers think Perine’s numbers will suffer in Riley’s pass happy system. Add in the Joe Mixon factor and that could very well be true; but, there are reasons to believe Perine will be just fine.

Next: Riley’s System Has Plenty of Rushing Punch