Perine Earns National Honor for TTU Game

NORMAN — Already named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, Oklahoma sophomore running back Samaje Perine picked up another honor Tuesday for his performance against Texas Tech as he was selected as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week.

Saturday, Perine rushed for season highs of 201 yards and four touchdowns to help the Sooners defeat the Red Raiders, 63-27. The 201-yard effort ranks as the third best by a Big 12 player this year, while the four rushing touchdowns are tied as the most by a conference player.

The 5-10, 230-pounder from Pflugerville, Texas, averaged 8.7 yards on his 23 carries and added one reception for nine yards. He had seven runs of at least 10 yards, five of them for at least 15. Included was a 48-yard, third-quarter burst, the longest run by a Sooner this year, which set up his third touchdown.

Perine now has four career games of at least 200 rushing yards and at least four rushing TDs. He upped his season rushing averages to 88.7 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division 1 football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity.

In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year Division I Texas college. Perine was one of five finalists for the award last year.

Perine and the 14th-ranked Sooners will play at Kansas on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT (televised by FS1). Last year against the Jayhawks in Norman, OU ran for 510 yards (tied for the most of the Bob Stoops era) behind Perine's 427-yard effort, an FBS record.