Running Back Breaks All-Time NCAA Single-Game Rushing Record For Second Week In A Row
University of Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine broke the NCAA FBS record for rushing yards in a single game Saturday, notching 427 yards in the Sooners' 44-7 rout of the University of Kansas. The new record comes just one week after University of Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon put up 408 rushing yards against the University of Nebraska, just eking past Louis Tomlinson's 15-year run as record-holder with 406 yards in a 1999 contest for Texas Christian University.
The start of Saturday's showdown was delayed due to lightning, presenting an apt metaphor for a game that saw the single most impressive running performance in the history of FBS college football. That Perine is a freshman only made the feat more impressive on a day that was destined for the record books.
The record-breaking rush came on a 42-yard breakaway in the first minutes of the fourth quarter, after which he was subbed out as the team already had the contest in the bag. Perine had five running touchdowns in the game, carrying the offense to its second win in a row and securing an 8-3 record that is bound to have the Big 12 powerhouse move up in the standings from its Week 13 ranking of 23rd on the AP Top 25.
Perine's dominant performance Saturday marked only the third FBS game in history to see a running back rush for 400 yards or more in a single contest. He had already broken the Sooners' single-game running record, set 43 years ago by Greg Pruitt, early on in the third quarter, according to ESPN.
Before Saturday's game, the young talent had 1,001 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the books.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.