Samaje Perine got into the open field, into the endzone, into the Oklahoma record books and suddenly a question came to mind.
Who the heck ever tackled that guy in high school?
Because West Virginia certainly couldn't do it on Saturday night in Morgantown, W.V.
In a rowdy environment with the Sooners down a running back, a guy playing just his fourth game as a Sooner didn't save the season, but it kind of felt like it.
Perine ran for 242 yards on 34 carries, scored four times and carried the offense on his 5-11, 243-pound frame, rolling more like a Brunswick than a freshman running back.
When it comes to playing, "Remember When," you'll say you saw it, because this one was special and the Sooners won 45-33.
At a school where running backs with numbers don't turn heads, Perine's night did. Only freshman Adrian Peterson and Marcus Dupree had better games away from Owen Field than Perine had, but here's the deal: Those players were feature backs for offenses that geared to their needs.
Saturday, Perine was certainly going to be needed, but no one knew he was going to be dominant. After all, Perine was one-third of a Sooner running back by committee situation. When Keith Ford went down last week with an injury, it meant more carries for Alex Ross and Perine.
But still, neither Perine or Ross have really had much chance to establish itself this season, and while both have been good, the offense has really been handed over to quarterback Trevor Knight, Sugar Bowl hero.
Meanwhile, the Sooner defense, not perfect, but close through three games had taken any pressure off the offense, but Saturday, when the Sooner defense wasn't sharp in the first half and Knight wasn't either (205 passing yards), OU needed some help.
So they rode Perine. A freshman who had 12 touchdowns last season in high school. Twelve? Seems like after watching him Saturday, Perine would have had 1,200.
Tied at 24-24 at halftime, Perine scored the opening touchdown of the third quarter on a 9-yard run. He scored again after West Virginia got within four on a 5-yard run. And he scored once more in the second half on a 19-yard run with 4:30 to play.
"Tired," he told FOX Sports after the game. "Very tired. "When Keith went down, I had to do my part. I think we did a great job tonight."
Great job because OU got a road win. In the Big 12. On national television on a night where the Sooners gained ground on just about everyone. Florida State struggled. LSU lost. A win like this on the road is noteworthy.
That performance by Perine was memorable. He was the first Sooner in two seasons to score four touchdowns in a game and the first to run for more than 200 since another legendary Sooner - DeMarco Murray - did it four seasons ago.
It was also the first time since last season a running back carried it 30 times. Last year it was a senior, Brennan Clay. This year, it's a freshman.
And you'll remember what he did Saturday.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
