No. 23 Sooners, Perine Run Past Kansas, 44-7
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NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma freshman running back Samaje Perine broke through the Kansas defense for an NCAA record 427 yards on 34 carries and five touchdowns, as the Kansas football team dropped its second-straight conference game, 44-7, Saturday afternoon at Gaylord Family – Memorial Stadium.
The rookie Perine rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and followed his first period performance up with 194 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to gain a significant chunk of the Sooners’ (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) 549 yards of total offense.
Perine’s 427 yards and five touchdowns broke the Kansas (3-8, 1-7 Big 12) single-game records by an opponent in both categories, while setting a number of other Sooner records inside OU’s stadium.
On the other hand, much like the weather conditions that surrounded the area causing the game to be delayed nearly three hours, the Jayhawks looked just as gloom on offense with a total of 103 yards gained from scrimmage. The Jayhawks’ lone touchdown of the game was scored on the defensive side of the ball after fumble was returned for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Offensively, junior quarterback Michael Cummings connected on eight of 22 pass attempts for 84 yards while throwing his fourth pick of the season. Freshman running back Corey Avery rushed for 38 yards on 11 carries, while hauling in two passes for 32 yards. Senior tight end Jimmay Mundine added three snags of his own, chalking up 27 yards of the squad’s total offense.
The only spark for Kansas came in the third quarter when a senior safety Cassius Sendish picked up a fumble forced by junior safety Isaiah Johnson and ran it 63 yards for the Jayhawks’ only score of the game. Johnson finished the game with a career-high 12 tackles, while sophomore linebacker Courtney Arnick was the only other KU defender with double-digit tackles, finishing with a career-best 10 stops.
The Jayhawks’ stuck to their usual routine on defense to start the game, holding the Sooners to a three-and-out on their opening drive to mark the sixth time this season KU held opponents from advancing the chains on their first possession.
However, Oklahoma found a quick answer to that stop and simplified its play calling back to its basic offense of giving Perine the ball.
That change was all OU needed to change the pace of the game as the freshman rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, including a 49-yard scoring run on the Sooners’ second possession of the game.
Kansas couldn’t find a rhythm on offense or an answer for Perine in the second half either and the Sooners ran away with the victory, 44-7.
Kansas hits the road for its final regular season contest against in-state rival Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown, Saturday, Nov. 29. The game is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. with a live broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
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