Oklahoma RB Samaje ‘Optimus’ Perine is the impact freshman of Week 4

Just call him “Optimus” Perine.

In a close game against the Mountaineers, the Sooners came out passing the ball early, but once Perine went right up the gut of the West Virginia defense to score on a two-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, the game essentially belonged to him.

In the second half, he single-handedly broke open a game that was tied 24-24 at halftime, scoring the final three touchdowns for Oklahoma. The second served notice about the difficulties Big 12 defenders will face in bringing him down, as he bounced off of two West Virginia players who tried to tackle him on that nine-yard run. His final run showcased his ability to get outside the tackles and into the open field.

And what did he do after the game to top it all off? He ordered some pizza for his offensive linemen, as any good running back would do to keep himself in the good graces of the big uglies clearing running lanes for him.

For those playing close attention to his high school career, the big-time production wasn’t especially surprising -- Perine was rated as a consensus four-star prospect, with 247Sports coming closer than the rest of the industry to assessing his upside by ranking him as the No. 13 running back nationally and the No. 21 player in the state of Texas.

More than any rankings, however, the most impressive aspect of Perine’s prep career at Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson in the greater Austin area was his ability to overcome a devastating knee injury late during his sophomore season.

A difficult rehab followed for Perine to return in 2012, when he followed up his breakout sophomore season by running for almost 2,000 yards, even though it was clear that he wasn’t 100 percent healthy. By the time his senior season came around, Perine was back at full strength, due in large part to his dedication in the weight room, a reputation that has followed him to Oklahoma.

The injury most likely depressed the offer list for Perine somewhat -- his 247Sports profile reports only a handful, from schools such as Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Purdue, TCU, and Tennessee. The Sooners stayed on him even as he worked his way back, and Perine reciprocated by committing in March of 2013 and never wavering.

Head coach Bob Stoops and his team are already reaping the benefits of that decision, and with Ford not practicing this week and possibly unavailable for the game against TCU this weekend, Perine should once again handle the majority of the carries. When Ford gets back, he may struggle to get his starting job back.

With a rare combination of size, speed, balance, low center of gravity, and vision, Perine looks poised for a big-time career in Norman, even if he does have to share carries when Ford returns.