Peterson lived up to billing at OU
Nation's No. 1 recruit bolstered Sooners, was No. 2 in Heisman race
Adrian Peterson, regarded as the nation's top recruit last year, was at least as good as advertised.
Peterson, who is from Palestine, Texas, finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy after a fantastic debut at Oklahoma. He set a freshman record by rushing for 1,925 yards and scored 15 touchdowns for the Sooners (12-1).
Perhaps his best performance came in the SBC Red River Shootout, in which he shredded the Texas defense for 225 yards in a 12-0 victory. It seemed to confirm the concern of Longhorns fans that Peterson choosing Oklahoma over Texas was a catastrophic moment.
The success of another freshman tailback from East Texas was a bit more surprising.
Longview Spring Hill's Jamario Thomas, ranked by Rivals.com as the state's No. 31 recruit, was the jewel of North Texas' class. Senior Patrick Cobbs suffered a season-ending knee injury in September, and Thomas broke most of the school and Sun Belt records his predecessor set the previous season. Thomas led the nation with 180.1 rushing yards per game after surpassing the 200-yard mark in six of his 10 appearances.
Receiver Lance Leggett of Arlington Grace Prep also made an immediate impact. The state's No. 4 recruit started seven games and had four touchdowns at Miami.
Lake Highlands' Franklin Okam and Denton Ryan's Derek Lokey contributed for Texas after working their way into the defensive tackle rotation. Okam, the state's No. 3 recruit, recorded 22 tackles (six for loss). Lokey, ranked No. 60 in the state, had 10 tackles (three for loss).
Ex-Grand Prairie quarterback Rhett Bomar, the area's top recruit, redshirted at Oklahoma. He'll compete in the spring for the right to hand off to Peterson.