A couple weeks before the regular season ended, Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine told coach Bob Stoops how much better he felt physically at that point than he had the year before.
“Not having to carry the whole load definitely helped him health-wise,” Stoops said.
As a true freshman in 2014, Perine rushed for a Big 12-leading 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns, with much of that yardage coming late in the season when he became, essentially, OU's only source of offensive production.
In 2015, though, the Sooners added Joe Mixon to the roster, and the former five-star prospect's skills seemed to perfectly compliment Perine's.