The Oklahoma Sooners brought in a new offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley, after a disappointing end. Expected to implement an air raid offense, Riley cannot under utilize the talented backfield he inherits. Bursting onto the season, Samaje Perine amassed 1713 total yards to go along side 21 touchdowns. Just imagine if the kid had started all 13 games of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners.
It's hard to believe the power witnessed a year ago was contained in a true freshman body. Now, heading into a sophomore season with a year in a collegiate weight training program under his belt, how far has Perine progressed?
"Samaje, it's hard to improve on where he was, but I believe he will," Bob Stoops mentioned. "He's such a great, great worker, very humble guy that's always hungry. He's really trimmed up a bit. He probably lost five pounds, but he's faster and still has the same strength and maybe more strength with another year in the weight room. So I believe he'll just continue to improve."
Perine may have all the talent in the world but he is a single piece to a much larger puzzle. The Sooners lost several experienced offensive linemen to the NFL Draft. Hoping to create a bit of space for the backs to squeeze through, the coaching staff looks toward two men specifically.
"The tackle positions, the guys that really came out of spring that really did a good job that are older guys that have been playing for us for a few years now, Josiah St. John and Derek Farniok are the guys that we're really excited about what they're doing, the way they progressed in the weight room, but also the way they played in the spring. Again, Stoops said, "they're guys that have played now for a few years, and it's now time for them to step up and play consistently."
Consistency is key to success on the year not only from the offensive line but also from the skill position players.