Published: October 15, 2006 12:55 am            

Peterson's legacy

For 21/2 seasons, Adrian Peterson has been Oklahoma’s exclamation point.

There have been great quarterbacks, great receivers and great offensive linemen during that time, but he has been the player who stood above the rest.

He showed why late in the Sooners’ 34-9 victory over Iowa State. With less than 7 minutes to play, OU needed one final drive to take the wind out of the Cyclones.

Peterson, as he has done so many times, provided it with one play. He took a simple hand-off from quarterback Paul Thompson, ran through a couple tackles and the rest of the Iowa State defense for 53-yard touchdown.

It was one of many memorable afternoons during his collegiate career. Few OU fans can forget them.

But the memory banks might be full after what happened at the end of Saturday’s 183-yard outing.

Peterson broke his collarbone when he dove for the final 3 yards of his long touchdown run. The injury will put him on the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season.

“Just diving into the end zone and when he landed, he landed wrong,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “At this point it looks like best case scenario, the earliest he would be ready to play would be a bowl game.”

That won’t be soon enough for the Sooners. Facing OU without Peterson is akin to facing the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s with Michael Jordan laid up on the bench.

Peterson’s averaged 132 yards a game throughout his 30-game career. That’s about 32 percent of OU’s total offense for the last three seasons.

Many assumed Peterson and the Sooners would part ways after this season, when he first becomes eligible for the NFL draft. It’s hard to imagine any scenario — including this one — preventing him from being any lower than a top 10 selection.

Whether or not he returns is up to him.

“I’m just focused in on the games we have to play this season,” Peterson said prior to the Texas game. “I’m not even thinking about that stuff.”

You can bet he is now, and he’s not alone. OU fans hope Saturday wasn’t the last they see him in a full sprint at Owen Field.

        

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