2 Sooners Awarded Big 12 Football Weekly Honors
Oklahoma teammates Samaje Perine and Alex Ross along with K-State’s Dakorey Johnson were chosen Big 12 Football Players of the Week for September 18-20 games by a panel of media that cover the Conference. All three picked up their first weekly honor.
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
Samaje Perine, Oklahoma, RB, Fr, Pflugerville, Texas
True freshman running back Samaje Perine recorded career-highs in carries (34), yards (242) and touchdowns (four) in leading No. 4 Oklahoma to a 45-33 win at West Virginia. He also posted a career-long rush of 38 yards. Perine became the first Sooner to record four rushing touchdowns since Blake Bell versus Texas (10/13/12). His 242 yards mark the first time an OU player has surpassed the 200-yard mark since DeMarco Murray ran for 208 yards vs. Utah State (9/4/10). It was the fourth-highest single-game rushing performance by a freshman in OU history.
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
Dakorey Johnson, Kansas State, LB, Sr, Mesquite, Texas
In his first career start, senior linebacker Dakorey Johnson registered a career-high six tackles, including two tackles for loss, and an interception against No. 5 Auburn. Johnson and the Wildcat defense held one of the nation’s top offenses to its lowest offensive output in head coach Gus Malzahn’s career. Auburn finished the game with an average of 2.8 yards per rush and totaled 128 yards on the ground. No Auburn team under Malzahn had ever been held below 200 rushing yards in a game, and the Tigers entered the matchup averaging more than 300.
Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
Alex Ross, Oklahoma, KR, So, Jenks, Okla.
Alex Ross’ 100-yard kickoff return touchdown at West Virginia was the first of his career and OU’s first since Roy Finch against Kansas (10/20/12). He became the sixth player in OU history to record a 100-yard play, four of which have come on kickoff returns. Ross’ 131 kick return yards rank seventh all-time for a single game in OU history. The touchdown was the fourth (three rushing, one return) of his career. Ross also had 56 rushing yards on eight carries and caught three passes for 19 yards in the Sooners’ win.