Peterson named freshman of the week
Adrian Peterson is proving on a weekly basis why he was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 1 high school football player last season.
The Oklahoma freshman tailback has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his five games this season. Last Saturday, in his biggest test as a Sooner, he gashed Texas for 225 yards to lead Oklahoma to a 12-0 victory.
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Peterson has been named Rivals.com’s National Freshman of the Week.
Peterson, a native of Palestine, Texas, watched last year's Red River Shootout from the stands. He was recruited by both Oklahoma and Texas.
"I've been looking forward to this game, coming back to Texas and playing the team that I grew up liking all my life," Peterson said. "It was a great experience for me and it feels great. I just went out there and ran hard."
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Peterson produced runs of 44, 26, 19, 17 and 15 yards. On Oklahoma's first scoring drive, he tallied 70 yards on nine carries before Trey DiCarlo kicked a 22-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half.
"My hat's off to him," Texas All-America linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "He's a great player and he ran well today. He's got a great future ahead of him at OU."
Other freshmen of note from Oct. 9
Georgia Tech was forced to play without two starting offensive linemen at No. 23 Maryland. Redshirt freshmen Kevin Tuminello and Matt Rhodes stepped in at center and guard, respectively, and helped the Jackets' offense to 131 rushing yards against a tough Terrapins defense. They were also part of an offensive line that allowed just one sack and gave quarterback Reggie Ball time to connect on a couple of crucial deep throws.
Making his second straight start, his second straight start, Michigan true freshman running back Mike Hart ran 35 times for 160 yards (a school record for a freshman) in the Wolverines’ 27-24 victory over Minnesota.
Michigan true freshman quarterback Chad Henne continued to sizzle, completing 33 of 49 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota.
Tennessee true freshman quarterback Erik Ainge completed 12 of 21 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns as the Vols stunned third-ranked Georgia, 19-14.
USC true freshman wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett caught four passes for 37 yards in the Trojans' 23-17 win over California. His 16-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter put USC ahead, 23-10.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Donovan Woods completed 8 of 11 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oklahoma State to a 42-14 victory over Colorado. The Cowboys improved to 5-0.
2004 National Freshman of the Week winners