Adrian Peterson was willing to relive his NFL single-game rushing record of 296 yards on Nov. 4, 2007 against San Diego, but he made sure to vent some frustration first.

He should have had 300 yards that day.

Or at least that’s the mentality of Peterson, who said he once rushed for 305 yards and six touchdowns – in one half – as a high schooler in Palestine, Texas.

Peterson goes one-on-one with the Pioneer Press about that epic day in the Metrodome against San Diego, the Vikings’ season-opening opponent Sunday.

What does 296 mean to you?

Peterson: What it means? It means a lot. NFL single-game rushing record. It means a lot. It was a great accomplishment. From the perspective of the team and how our offense contributed to that.

Did you ever imagine having that kind of performance before you entered the league?

Peterson: Yeah, I think anything is possible. It’s possible to get 400 yards. It sounds crazy, don’t it?

You would need 40 or 50 carries for that, right?

Peterson: You can have 20 carries and get 400 yards. As long as you have the right looks. Think about it. A couple of long breaks, you’re right there.

You went into halftime with 43 yards, left with 296. What did that second half feel like in real time?

Peterson: I was in a zone, man. I was definitely out there feeling good. It was like, I don’t know, can’t explain it. Something over me, God, blessings, the Holy Spirit. That’s definitely what it was.

Your favorite play from that day?

Peterson: I think it was a 40- or 50-yarder (a 46-yard touchdown with 7:44 left to give the Vikings a 28-17 lead). It was going toward the tunnel and it was an outside zone play, stretch. I had missed it two times during the game. I remember we were going over it on the sidelines and (former running backs coach Eric Bieniemy) was like “Just trust it. Slow it down, trust it and it’s going to be there.” Sure enough, I trusted it, slowed it down and I was able to wrap around the corner and get under it. I just hit it, scored.

You entered the league with a lot of hype, but did that game explode your career?

Peterson: I think it did. Was that before the Chicago game? (Oct. 14, 2007, when Peterson rushed for 224 yards at Soldier Field). That’s right, it was after the Chicago game. Actually, the Chicago game kind of exploded things for me when we played them. And then I had the good game at home. Just that whole season, really.

Were you keeping track of your yardage and how close you were to the record?

Peterson: Nah, I didn’t know. I had no idea until I was five or six yards away from it and then someone came in and kind of indicated that “Hey, you’re like six yards from the single-game rushing record.”

Leave any plays out there?

Peterson: Think about it, if I wouldn’t have gotten a horse collar (from Marlon McCree, stopping a 35-yard run late in the fourth), I probably would have had 320, 330. I was going around the left end. They called the horse collar. I broke it, and they caught me. I don’t remember who it was.

The coaches brought you back in the game for the final minutes to secure the record. Are you happy they did? (Peterson broke the record on a 3-yard gain with 1:04 left)

Peterson: A little bit. They could have kept me in there for 300. Then again, there were two ways they were looking at it. They were looking at it like, “Aw, what if you lose yards? Then aw, so close.” My mentality is, let’s get in there. Maybe I’ll break off another one and get 315 or more.

What was the next day like? More calls than usual from your agent? More marketing opportunities? More friends?

Peterson: I got a lot of different calls and stuff from friends; that was not out of the norm. Things change gradually. That’s how it is in this world: The better you do, the more things come to you.

Sitting in the locker room after that game, all alone, how do you process what just happened?

Peterson: Just thinking, “Wow.” It’s amazing. It’s a great accomplishment.