USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma Sooners freshman tailback Samaje Perine etched his name into the annals of program history against West Virgina Saturday night in his team's 45-33 win.

With the offense sputtering behind the arm of Trevor Knight and the defense struggling with a potent Mountaineers offense, Perine firmly planted the Sooners on his shoulders and exploded for one of the all-time great performances.

The final line more than speaks for itself:

Name CAR YDS AVG TD LG Samaje Perine 34 242 7.1 4 38 ESPN

ESPN.com's Jake Trotter revealed that Perine joined legendary collegiate company after surpassing the 200-yard mark:

He also dove into the record books to reveal that only DeMarco Murray and three others have matched him in terms of touchdowns:

For what it is worth, Perine also wrote his name in permanent marker in the West Virginia record books as well, as noted by Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail:

Perine got his first score of the night on a two-yard rush in the second quarter, but erupted in the second half right out of the gate to break a tie at 24 and give his team a lead it would never relinquish—thanks to his two additional touchdowns later in the half, of course.

Clearly, Bob Stoops is not afraid to go with the hot hand, especially after the loss of No. 1 back Keith Ford to injury earlier in the week. Perine had not registered more than 13 carries in each of the team's first three games before exploding for the huge tally Saturday.

While talented names such as Alex Ross pepper the roster, even Stoops had noted before the game that his star freshman does his best work in the second half.

“Samaje gets in there in the second half, and again he’s fresh,” Stoops said, per Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman. “He gets in there and he is pounding it. He is a strong, physical player. He has a great base to him. He does everything you want. He catches the ball. He was a big boost there in the second half.”

A back who gets more effective with each carry should ring a few alarm bells for those familiar with the former collegiate greats at the position. In particular, NFL.com's Bryan Fischer has one comparison in mind:

Now 4-0 on the hunt for a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff, Oklahoma is in good hands now that Perine has had his thunderous breakout game. Even when Ford returns, it is quite apparent Stoops has a ground game that few teams can match.

Perine cannot be expected to carry the team on his own every game just yet, and Heisman talk is unfounded until he strings together a few more great performances, but it is abundantly clear that a new star running back resides on the block that is collegiate football.

His name is Samaje Perine, and it is one history won't soon forget. What lies ahead is even more exciting.

Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.