Samaje Perine's FBS single-game rushing record threatened, but remains unbroken
On November 21, 2014, Oklahoma freshman running back Samaje Perine sprinted, stiff-armed and battered his way into the FBS history books with 427 rushing yards against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Just over six years later, University of Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson unleashed an assault on Perine's single-game rushing record. In the Bulls' 70-41 win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon, the 5-foot-9 junior racked up 409 yards and an astonishing eight touchdowns, but exited the game within striking distance of Perine's mark.
Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson rushed for 409 yards and 8 TD's on Saturday afternoon.
Patterson headed to the bench late in the fourth quarter after his 36th and final carry of the contest. At the time, Buffalo was on the Kent State 19-yard line, which theoretically gave Patterson a chance to finish with 428 yards and nine rushing scores. However, reserve back Kevin Marks Jr. took the next two totes, the second of which went for a 15-yard touchdown to close out the scoring.
Patterson's eight trips to paydirt tied the record set by former Illinois great Howard Griffith, whose mark had remained unmatched since 1990. However, Patterson did become just the fourth player in FBS history to eclipse 400 yards in a single game, joining Perine, Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon (408 yards vs. Nebraska in 2014) and TCU legend LaDainian Tomlinson (406 vs. UTEP in 1999).
Perine's record came on a cold, muddy day in Norman, at the tail end of an uninspiring 2014 campaign for the Sooners. Oklahoma quarterback Cody Thomas completed just three passes, but Perine ran wild from start to finish on a demoralized Kansas defense. Perine's final carry went for 42 yards, shattering the mark that Gordon had set just one week earlier. Bob Stoops called timeout, allowing the Owen Field crowd to offer raucous congratulations to the freshman running back, and Perine left the game on the shoulders of his teammates with over eleven minutes remaining in regulation.
Oklahoma would go on to defeat Kansas 44-7. Perine scored five touchdowns that day, one shy of matching the school record established in 2000 by Quentin Griffin.
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