By Will Vandervort.
The last time Garry Peters saw a running back like Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine it was in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
That running backs name was Jeremy Hill, who rushed for 124 yards on 12 just carries for LSU, while scoring two touchdowns. Hill now plays for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals on Sundays.
“He’s a big running back who can run you over and has the speed to make all the cuts and can come out of the backfield and catch it if need be,” Peters said.
Luckily for 17th-ranked Clemson it still found a way to beat LSU in that game despite Hill’s talents. As they get set for the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29 the Tigers will have to figure out a way to do the same thing against Oklahoma.
Perine ranks eighth in the country with 1,579 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns and he has done it with both speed and power. Against Kansas on Nov. 22, he rushed for an NCAA record 427 yards and scored five touchdowns in the in Sooner’s 44-7 victory.
“Some teams don’t even get that total for a whole game and he had that on the ground alone,” Peters said. “We are going to have to contain that guy for sure and it all starts in the trenches so if our guys in the trenches come to play and our linebackers, then we should be fine.”
But that’s just the thing, how will Clemson’s linebackers play? The Tigers will start the first two-quarters without All-ACC linebacker Stephone Anthony, who has to sit out the first half of the Russell Athletic Bowl due to a suspension for his targeting foul on South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson the last time out.
That leaves sophomore Ben Boulware and redshirt junior Kellen Jones with the task of stopping Perine in the middle. The true freshman running back has rushed for 917 of his 1,579 yards on first down. That is an average of 7.1 yards per carry.
But Perine’s success just isn’t all him. It also helps that his wide receivers do a good job blocking on the edges as well as selling the pass even though it’s a run call.
“They block exceptionally well, in my opinion,” Peters said. “When they are running routes, you can see that they are running full speed off the ball, but also when they are blocking, and it is a hard thing for us as defensive backs knowing if it is run or pass. They are running off the ball full speed on every play and I guess that is a testament to their coaching staff and their receivers coach. He is coaching them well.
“It just fits them. They are all not big, but they still get in your stuff.”
And then Perine tries to run them over.
“He is a beast. I know he is only a freshman, but he is already a special player in my opinion,” Peters said.