Perine

[IGotNoTiming]

I couldnt watch the game. Can any give a synopsis on the running backs? Does anyone see this kid becoming the "goto" guyin the backfield?

[BetterSoonerThanLater]

I started calling him P-Train.
That should tell you what you need to know

[LakeRat]

Players calling him Tonka, bc he trucks people! It will be a strong 3 headed monster

[SoonerInFortSmith]

Let's just say we should be seeing a lot of 2nd and 3 or 4 to go this year.

[okiewaker]

From what I've seen he's a bowling ball with legs. He's gonna hurt some DBs, or anyone, that gets in his way.

Come to think of it,,,the trio are all punishing running backs. I would definitely exploit the punishment. Can't remember when we've had a trio of runners quite like we have now.

[Okie35]

From what I've seen he's a bowling ball with legs. He's gonna hurt some DBs, or anyone, that gets in his way.

Come to think of it,,,the trio are all punishing running backs. I would definitely exploit the punishment. Can't remember when we've had a trio of runners quite like we have now.

AD, Allen Patrick and Chris Brown

[SoonerorLater]

AD, Allen Patrick and Chris Brown

Best trio - AD and any two other RBs.

That being said these three guys in tandem should be a nightmare to prepare for. I sure hope OU uses a lot of play action passes this season. These three will keep every defense we play against honest.

[Okie35]

Best trio - AD and any two other RBs.

That being said these three guys in tandem should be a nightmare to prepare for. I sure hope OU uses a lot of play action passes this season. These three will keep every defense we play against honest.

They should. I hate the telegraphed passes when knight knows where he's going already but I assume he did it to get the young receivers involved ...

[SoonerMarkVA]

All 3 looked exceptional. I personally thought Ford had the best all-around game out of the backfield, but that nice kick return from Ross and Perine's undeniable power--heck, it's just exciting. All those guys are going to have a lot of yards, and OU's going to have one heck of a ground game this year.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

If I were to characterize them

Ross - Donta Hickson Clone - biased vision towards the sideline (he wants to bounce everything outside), good out of the backfield.
Ford - Fazande - seems to have tunnel vision resulting in some very straight runs, but very good at avoiding tacklers within his run path.
Perine - Jerome Bettis - he adjusts enough to where tacklers always seem to be off center when they hit him resulting in some people getting shrugged off or run over.

After one game, I'd say they are enough alike to keep defenses honest and enough different that you can really catch a defense in a bind trying to sub around them.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

They should. I hate the telegraphed passes when knight knows where he's going already but I assume he did it to get the young receivers involved ...

That's what I was thinking... he tried too hard to get specific young receivers involved so he didn't check off to the 2nd or 3rd receiving option like be should have.

But that's forgivable for the first game of the season. I liked that they played so many new players early in the game.... not waiting until the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter to get 2nd and 3rd teamers out there. It will pay off in the long run.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Perine reminds me of Earl Campbell when he was at Texas. Doesn't want to go down on first hit.

And the irony is Perine is from a town right outside Austin.

Hope that Perine's pass receiving skills are better than Earl Campbell's though.

[freshchris05]

I think flowers should be getting some carries too. I really wanted to see them get brooks a few more carries as well.

[East Coast Bias]

Ford's pass catching ability was impressive; That is bound to cause big problems for opposing defenses and is a great check-down for Knight.

[blacktop]

I like the name Tonka and the reference to Earl Campbell for Perine. Our run game was impressive. I don't want to drift from the theme of this thread but the O-Line looked good also. I credit Bedenbaugh with his mindset and Bedenbaugh is off to another great start in O-Line recruiting. One day we will have to deal with him and a team from the other side of the field, I fear.

[mojorisen2014]

Perine reminds me of a bullish Q. Griffin

[King Crimson]

Perine reminds me of Jerald Moore.

I like what i see in Ford.

Ross reminds me of former CU RB CHris Brown. very upright running style. big and fast.

[SoonerorLater]

I'm going to be a little more optimistic which goes against my general nature. Ross = Marcus Dupree lite. Perine similar to Trent Richardson

[Curly Bill]

Since we're getting carried away after a game against LA Tech:

Perine = Jim Brown

Ross = Eric Dickerson

Ford = Walter Payton

There! We have three of the best running backs ever, or at least their clones, on our squad. NC or bust!

[8timechamps]

We are loaded at the position for sure.

Pernie reminds me a lot of Quentin Griffin. He doesn't have the vision Q had, but I think that will develop. Perine is a load, and not an easy target for defenders. He's got more speed in the open field than I realized.

Ford is a one cut, inline running back. To me, he looked the best of the three overall. There's not a lot that seperates the three, but Ford looked just a bit better than Perine or Ross. What I like most about Ford is that he a north/south runner. The kind of runner I always wanted Damien Williams to be. No dancing, just hit the hole and run.

Ross is a lot like Ford, except he does tend to bounce to the outside more than he should. I've always liked Ross, but I didn't realize he had the kind of speed he showed on the early screen play. He gets up to speed quick!


As much as I liked the stability of Clay, the hard running of Williams and the change of pace style Finch brought, this group is poised to be much better. If the offensive line plays to their ability, OU's running game is going to be VERY difficult to corral. That could/will create a lot of play action opportunity, which we saw a little of last night.

[Eielson]

Since we're getting carried away after a game against LA Tech:

Perine = Jim Brown

Ross = Eric Dickerson

Ford = Walter Payton

There! We have three of the best running backs ever, or at least their clones, on our squad. NC or bust!

Yeah...I'm not too thrilled about averaging 4.6 YPC against LA Tech. Ross looked bad.

[rock on sooner]

Welp, I aint no freakin expert, but, OMG, I wouldn't want to be
ANY Defensive coach tryin to game plan against OU's running game!
Now, of course, this only the first game of the season, but, ummm,
freshmen blockin fer rilly hostile, agile, angry freshmen running backs
who only want to hurt those in their way can't possibly enjoyable...
ima jus sayin.....BOOMER, BY GAWD, SOONER!!!!!!

[LA.SoonerFan]

I was at the game, so I'll give my take. Perine has the potential to be a beast. I thought Ford was the most talented back last year, so I will repeat myself for this year. I was also impressed with his pass catching ability. We could have a really dangerous backfield for a few years. I'm looking forward to the trio this season.

[EatLeadCommie]

Perine really seemed to be only running up the gut so it was hard to tell much on him other than he has the ability to carry tacklers and pretty good feet. Couldn't tell squat about his speed or ability to make dudes miss. He doesn't strike me as that kind of back from what little I saw.

[LA.SoonerFan]

I think he may surprise us on his speed, but as long as he can gain 7 or 8 yards up the gut and carry tacklers for an extra 4 or 5, I don't care.

[okiewaker]

From what I've seen he's a bowling ball with legs. He's gonna hurt some DBs, or anyone, that gets in his way.

Come to think of it,,,the trio are all punishing running backs. I would definitely exploit the punishment. Can't remember when we've had a trio of runners quite like we have now.

AD, Allen Patrick and Chris Brown
I Dont remember those 3 playing the same years together, although I could be wrong.

[Salt City Sooner]

I Dont remember those 3 playing the same years together, although I could be wrong.
2006.

[okiewaker]

I Dont remember those 3 playing the same years together, although I could be wrong.
2006.

Nice. Hadn't realized that. Thx for setting me correct.

[8timechamps]

If you get a chance, head over to SoonerSportsTV. Today was the normal game-week press conference and SoonerSports has a one-on-one interview with Perine. Not only does he look (physically) like he could play in the NFL, he doesn't sound like a freshman. The kid has a very bright future.

[Mac94]

Wonderful game for the Sooner running game and having watched Perine last year at Hendrickson HS here in Pflugerville is was really fun to see him this past weekend. The first name that came to my mind was Rodney Thomas ... an A&M running back from the early 1990's ... similar style of play in wanting to power through defenders and deliver punishment.

[Pride1Mom]

Everyone should be congratulating the offensive line! They really were great! It was exciting to see the DIFFERENT style of running. Opponents will have a hard time focusing on just one!

[cherokeebrewer]

Yeah...I'm not too thrilled about averaging 4.6 YPC against LA Tech. Ross looked bad.

He looked pretty good on that kick return...

[KantoSooner]

Yeah...I'm not too thrilled about averaging 4.6 YPC against LA Tech. Ross looked bad.

Analysis, please. Not trying to pick an argument, but I've heard nothing but praise for him so far; including from former OU RBs and coaches. What did he mess up?

[SoonerMarkVA]

Analysis, please. Not trying to pick an argument, but I've heard nothing but praise for him so far; including from former OU RBs and coaches. What did he mess up?

His per-carry average was quite a bit lower than Ford and Perine. But overall, saying he looked "bad" is really a stretch. His all-purpose yardage looks pretty darn good.

[KantoSooner]

Considering the amount of playing time any of the three have actually had at this level and that it was the first game of the year, it seems odd to think of his performance as 'bad'.
He made a couple of nice runs.
He caught and advanced a couple of catches.
He blocked reasonably well (and I'm only shading my words because I was enjoying the game, not breaking down film: I was watching the ball mostly).
His special teams play was outstanding.
He didn't fumble.
He didn't punch anybody.
He seemed to know what he was supposed to be doing and mostly did it.

I just don't see what there is to skewer him over.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Yeah, I dunno. The per-carry was the only thing I could see that stood out between the 3, so I was just speculating. I was practically giddy over all 3 of the backs' performances.

[Sooner91ATL]

The thing that I am very excited about is for the first time in a long time, we have backs who get hit and fall forward and gain an extra yard or two, and this was by all backs. Perine carried several tacklers for three yards a couple of times. We didn't see any slips or stumbles on the cut, and nobody got tapped on the ankle from behind and went down. All three showed balance, power, speed, and determination. What a treat. Maybe the best 1-2-3 punch since Carr, Collins, and Stafford.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Considering the amount of playing time any of the three have actually had at this level and that it was the first game of the year, it seems odd to think of his performance as 'bad'.
He made a couple of nice runs.
He caught and advanced a couple of catches.
He blocked reasonably well (and I'm only shading my words because I was enjoying the game, not breaking down film: I was watching the ball mostly).
His special teams play was outstanding.
He didn't fumble.
He didn't punch anybody.
He seemed to know what he was supposed to be doing and mostly did it.

I just don't see what there is to skewer him over.

What you didn't list is "was patient and waited for the hole to develop". As I stated above, Ross is very biased to bouncing it outside. That translates to him getting to the LOS faster than the other 2 backs which works well when you are trying to get to the sidelines, but not so well when you are running up the gut. Its the same problem that Donta Hickson had and why he never really saw the field.


Compare 7:13
BC_ocRmUlss
vs 1:40:04
7XcTjX2p1N8

Now think about the ridiculousness of the patience of Perine on this run at the 10:00 mark
BC_ocRmUlss

Now this isn't to say that there weren't other issues. Our guard play was inconsistent as crap with Taylor Evans and Shead having some pretty bad series (Shead in particular was getting pushed 3-4 yards into the backfield).

[KantoSooner]

Again, I'll stick with giving him something well above a 'bad' grade. He'll take coaching on this or not. For a first game of the season, I'll take it.

Note: I never called any of them Jim Brown.

[Sooner91ATL]

Now this isn't to say that there weren't other issues. Our guard play was inconsistent as crap with Taylor Evans and Shead having some pretty bad series (Shead in particular was getting pushed 3-4 yards into the backfield).

I don't remember which play, but in the first half we had the ball and as soon as the ball was snapped we had two DTs in our backfield and I heard some coach on our sideline say something like "no no no god****dammt". I didn't see a replay but clearly we need to work on guard play. it was mostly good but way too much penetration at times.

[birddog]

I had been posting regularly that perine was the guy I was most optimistic about. His size alone makes him an intriguing player built like ronnell lewis. When the mixon thang happened I figured he'd get some early pt. Should be a great year.

[cherokeebrewer]

All 3 were very good and took care of the ball. Ford seems to have found an extra gear. Tonka is very very strong and Ross is a difference maker

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Again, I'll stick with giving him something well above a 'bad' grade. He'll take coaching on this or not. For a first game of the season, I'll take it.

Note: I never called any of them Jim Brown.

Remember that we are talking in relation to each other not typical OU talent level (which I think these guys are all above the average there). I just think that Ross's carries will be situational based on the speed of the opposing linebackers. If they are slow-a-foot, then you'll see him more to beat them to the sidelines. Smaller and Faster and they'll just hammer up the gut with Perine/Ford.

One other point, Neal may be the best blocking WR I've seen here in a decade.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I don't remember which play, but in the first half we had the ball and as soon as the ball was snapped we had two DTs in our backfield and I heard some coach on our sideline say something like "no no no god****dammt". I didn't see a replay but clearly we need to work on guard play. it was mostly good but way too much penetration at times.

I haven't went through the entire game, but through 3 quarters I felt like our overall execution (meaning guys engaged with their assignments) was exceptional. On most every play, there were 8-9 guys engaged with the defense which is honestly unheard of for us until mid-season. The last OL I remember being this sound, this early was the 2003/2004 group. The one noticeable group that was lost were the guards who typically didn't touch anyone when they had a second level assignment (the fact that we are going to the second level now is 3 kinds of awesome). They did engage very well on traps and straight up blocks.

Where it gets worrisome though was the number of those OL engagements that we got stalemated/beat. This is also unusual in that typically at this point of the season our OL, if we find someone to engage, typically win that engagement. The first 2 series, Evans and Shead looked amazing. The third, they looked like they were out of gas. By the second quarter, Savage was in for Evans and he was mauling while Shead was getting pushed back (which created those weird running lanes). For Evans, it may be conditioning (as Kasitati was listed as the starter) or first game jitters but it also might be a talent issue as well. If the former, we'll see a lot of improvement in game 2. If the latter, then we will see more guys in the backfield and we'll have to go back to overload blocking.

The blocking by the WRs was absolutely awesome to see. Nothing like seeing 8-12 yard runs/catches turned into 25-30 yarders because they actually block. We saw a little of this last year, but these guys seem even better at it (on par with the 2004 group).

[Temujin]

If I were to characterize them

Ross - Donta Hickson Clone - biased vision towards the sideline (he wants to bounce everything outside), good out of the backfield.
Ford - Fazande - seems to have tunnel vision resulting in some very straight runs, but very good at avoiding tacklers within his run path.
Perine - Jerome Bettis - he adjusts enough to where tacklers always seem to be off center when they hit him resulting in some people getting shrugged off or run over.

After one game, I'd say they are enough alike to keep defenses honest and enough different that you can really catch a defense in a bind trying to sub around them.

As I was watching him run, I was thinking that Perine reminded me of Gerald Moore, but with a Jermaine Fazande physique.

[Temujin]

Perine reminds me of Jerald Moore.

I like what i see in Ford.

Ross reminds me of former CU RB CHris Brown. very upright running style. big and fast.

LOL, exactly what I was thinking about Perine. Looks like Fazande, runs like Moore.

[hawaii 5-0]

When I saw Perine I thot of Rotnei Anderson.


5-0

[8timechamps]

Remember that we are talking in relation to each other not typical OU talent level (which I think these guys are all above the average there). I just think that Ross's carries will be situational based on the speed of the opposing linebackers. If they are slow-a-foot, then you'll see him more to beat them to the sidelines. Smaller and Faster and they'll just hammer up the gut with Perine/Ford.

One other point, Neal may be the best blocking WR I've seen here in a decade.

Agreed.

It's pretty clear he got really serious about it over the summer. I was a little concerned with how our WRs would block since we lost Saunders (who was pretty damn good at it), but Neal really looked exceptional in his blocking ability Saturday. KJ Young didn't do bad either, but he's just a victim on inexperience. Young reminds me of Broyles as a freshman.

[KantoSooner]

No argument from me on that.
Now, was it Ford who I DID see exhibit a very nice pause at the line as the blocking defined a hole? Sometime in the first half, I believe. Sorry, but I had a whole teevee room of people who insisted on jabbering the whole game.

[BoulderSooner79]

I thought Ford showed good patience on several runs.
A big positive is having both Ross and Ford being able to catch out of the backfield. Also, TK threw very nice balls on those long swing passes. Good lead to let the RB catch it in stride and a little touch on it to make it easier to catch. Compare that to TKs first 2 games last year where he couldn't connect with wide open swing passes or bubble screens and he has made huge strides.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I thought Ford showed good patience on several runs.
A big positive is having both Ross and Ford being able to catch out of the backfield. Also, TK threw very nice balls on those long swing passes. Good lead to let the RB catch it in stride and a little touch on it to make it easier to catch. Compare that to TKs first 2 games last year where he couldn't connect with wide open swing passes or bubble screens and he has made huge strides.

Adding that brought Knight to full Nate Hybl status -> Amazingly accurate on high degree of difficulty passes like the fade and corner route and amazingly inaccurate on easy throws like digs and slants.

[CatfishSooner]

Adding that brought Knight to full Nate Hybl status -> Amazingly accurate on high degree of difficulty passes like the fade and corner route and amazingly inaccurate on easy throws like digs and slants.

Nate F'n Hybl... gotta be kiddin me

[SoonerObsession]

After coveting Alabama's Derrick Henry all day and wondering why the heck he doesn't get the ball 30+ times a game, I came away from the OU game feeling fantastic about our trio. It should be a great year for our running game!

[Salt City Sooner]

After coveting Alabama's Derrick Henry all day and wondering why the heck he doesn't get the ball 30+ times a game, I came away from the OU game feeling fantastic about our trio. It should be a great year for our running game!
Speaking of which, it was down to OU & Bama for Perine's services. Can you imagine pairing him with Henry? :nightmare:

[SoonerMarkVA]

Speaking of which, it was down to OU & Bama for Perine's services. Can you imagine pairing him with Henry? :nightmare:

Yeah, I can. It'd look something like, oh, Perine and Ford :)

[sendbaht]

FORD will be a super star.....