NORMAN — OU running back Samaje Perine popped through three would-be Kansas tackles and found daylight — well, as much could be had on a dreary, rainy afternoon.

Perine ran through the hole and into history, with a 42-yard gain that gave him the NCAA’s single-game rushing record with 427 yards in a 2014 game against Kansas.

The performance was one of the best in not only OU but college football history.

From Perine’s big day to Superman, from beating Nebraska in 2000 to complete the Sooners’ ascent to No. 1 to a wild comeback against Texas two years ago, the Sooners have had plenty of big-time games and moments.

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Friday’s home game against TCU (11 a.m., Fox) is the Sooners’ final regular-season game in the conference that was created in the merger of the Big Eight and Southwest Conference ahead of the 1996 season.

Next season, the Sooners (along with Texas) will jump from the Big 12 to the SEC.

OU has been dominant when it comes to the league, winning 14 conference titles in the league while no other team has won more than three Big 12 championships.

The Sooners have won nearly 75% of their conference games, going 175-60 heading into the finale. Texas is second, going 156-79 in that span.

Ahead of their finale, The Oklahoman ranked the Sooners’ top Big 12 games and performances from their time in the conference.

Only conference games were considered.

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Top 12 OU football games in Big 12 era

1. OU 31, Nebraska 14 (Oct. 28, 2000)

The Sooners finished off “Red October” — a gauntlet of games that included a win over No. 11 Texas, No. 2 Kansas State and the top-Cornhuskers — with a thrilling game to move to the top of the polls en route to a national championship in Bob Stoops’ second season.

2. OU 55, Texas 48 (Oct. 9, 2021)

The Sooners trailed 28-7 after one quarter and appeared headed to a blowout loss. But then freshman quarterback Caleb Williams entered and injected life into the OU side of the stadium with a 66-yard touchdown run, then took over permanently for Spencer Rattler after halftime. Williams ultimately led the Sooners on a wild comeback that culminated with Kennedy Brooks’ 33-yard touchdown run in the closing seconds to lift the Sooners to victory.

3. OU 33, Oklahoma State 24 (Dec. 7, 2013)

Blake Bell hit Jalen Saunders for a touchdown pass with less than 20 seconds remaining to dash the Cowboys’ Big 12 title hopes, then Eric Striker picked up a dropped lateral and took it into the end zone as time expired to further twist the knife.

4. OU 34, Baylor 31 (Nov. 16, 2019)

The Sooners trailed 28-3 in the second quarter before turning the game around with three Jalen Hurts touchdown passes in the second half to complete the biggest comeback in program history. Nik Bonitto’s interception with 29 seconds left put the game away.

5. OU 47, Oklahoma State 41 (Nov. 27, 2010)

Landry Jones threw two touchdown passes less than 30 seconds apart in the fourth quarter to lift the Sooners to the win. Jones threw for a then-school record 468 passing yards.

6. OU 53, Texas 45 (Oct. 10, 2020)

The Sooners led by two touchdowns with less than 3:30 remaining before Texas stormed back to force overtime. The teams traded punches for two overtimes, then couldn’t finish on special teams plays in the third. Drake Stoops caught a touchdown pass to start the fourth extra frame, before Tre Brown’s interception in the end zone ended the game.

7. OU 30, Texas 27 (Oct. 12, 1996)

The first Red River Rivalry game as a conference matchup is sometimes forgotten, but it was a classic. James Allen’s 2-yard touchdown run in overtime gave the Sooners the win and snap a program-record seven-game losing streak.

8. OU 62, Oklahoma State 52 (Nov. 7, 2017)

Baker Mayfield set a program record with 589 passing yards and the Sooners needed every bit of it as Mayfield bested Mason Rudolph. The weren’t short, either, for the most part as Mayfield’s touchdown passes came from 49, 5, 84, 43 and 77 yards. Marquise Brown set a program record with 265 receiving yards.

9. OU 51, Oklahoma State 48 (Nov. 24, 2012)

The Sooners never led until overtime and trailed by 11 late in the fourth. The Belldozer — Blake Bell — one on for a 4-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of regulation to forced overtime and Brennan Clay broke off an 18-yard touchdown run to win it for the Sooners. Landry Jones threw for 500 yards in the win.

10. OU 65, Texas Tech 21 (Nov. 22, 2008)

The “Jump Around” game. The No. 5 Sooners mauled No. 2 Texas Tech with 35 second-quarter points to make the second half more of a formality than anything else. With OU leading 42-7 at halftime, the House of Pain song rang out at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, creating an electric moment and setting a celebratory tone for the second half.

11. OU 41, Missouri 31 (Oct. 13, 2007)

The No. 6 Sooners scored 18 fourth-quarter points to come back and hand No. 11 Missouri its first loss of the season. Chris Brown scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Curtis Lofton returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown in the final frame.

12. OU 52, Oklahoma State 9 (Nov. 1, 2003)

Cowboys coach Les Miles infamously said his team was ready to “Let ’er Rip” before the game, and then the top-ranked Sooners blew out the No. 14 Cowboys with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. Three different OU players threw for touchdowns — Jason White, Paul Thompson, and Mark Bradley.

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Top 12 OU football performances in Big 12 era

1. Superman

Roy Williams’ leap over a Texas blocker to tip Chris Simms’ pass into Teddy Lehman’s arms for a touchdown has become the most iconic single play of the 2000s for the Sooners. It helped lift Williams into the College Football Hall of Fame.

2. Samaje Perine sets NCAA record

LaDainian Tomlinson’s NCAA-record for rushing yards in a game stood for 15 seasons. But after Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon broke it in November 2014, the record lasted just a week. Perine, the Sooners’ freshman sensation at running back, shattered Gordon’s record with 427 yards, scoring five touchdowns in the Sooners’ 44-7 win over Kansas.

3. Baker Mayfield vs. Patrick Mahomes

There was already plenty of intrigue headed into OU’s 2016 game at Texas Tech. It was Mayfield’s return to Lubbock as the Sooners’ starter after he made history by becoming the first walk-on quarterback to start a season opener in 2013 at Texas Tech. He was facing the prolific Patrick Mahomes, who had thrown for more than 4,600 yards the season before. Mahomes threw for 734 yards, tying an NCAA record, but Mayfield threw for 545 yards and an OU-record seven touchdowns as the Sooners pulled off a wild 66-59 win.

4. Torrance Marshall’s game-saver

With their undefeated season on the line in November 2000, OU was in need of some Sooner Magic. Trailing 31-28 at Texas A&M with less than eight minutes to go, linebacker Torrance Marshall provided it. He picked off Mark Farris’ pass and took it 41 yards for a touchdown — with some help by a block by Rocky Calmus — to put the Sooners ahead as the ultimately won 35-31 and went on to a national title.

5. Sam Bradford’s flip

Sam Bradford won the 2008 Heisman Trophy because of how well he could throw. But Bradford showed off a different element late in the first quarter, creating his Heisman moment. On a scramble, Bradford went around the edge and as he neared the end zone, tried to leap over a defender. He was stopped just shot of the line, but his flip out of bounds gave Bradford a boost nationally, plus the Sooners scored not long after to further put the game away.

6. Quentin Griffin runs for six

The start of the “Red October” stretch was emphatic, with a 63-14 win Oct. 7, 2000. Quentin Griffin set a school record with six touchdowns. None of the touchdowns were from farther than eight yards out.

7. Dillon Gabriel’s last-minute drive

The newest addition to the list. The Sooners’ backs were to the wall when they got the ball back with 1:17 remaining and trailing by three this season against Texas. But Dillon Gabriel methodically worked the ball downfield. On second-and-goal from the 3, the pocket closed around Gabriel, who lofted a pass to redshirt freshman Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone to give the Sooners their signature win so far in 2023.

8. Adrian Peterson dominates Bedlam

Adrian Peterson ran for a career-high 249 yards and a touchdown to give the Sooners the 2004 win over Oklahoma State. In the third quarter, Peterson whirled around when he took contact at the line of scrimmage. In a flash, Peterson was in open space and kept on rolling en route to a 38-35 Bedlam win.

9. Trey Millard’s leap

Millard, a fullback, didn’t even break stride as he leaped over a Texas defender and broke off deep down the field. He couldn’t quite get into the end zone but his jump set the tone as OU pulled off a 63-21 win over the Longhorns in 2012. Millard finished with a career-high five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.

10. OU blows away Texas A&M

As bad as it was, the Sooners’ blowout win could’ve been worse, as they put up 77 points by the end of the third quarter in this 2003 matrhup. The 77-0 result started a firestorm of debate on whether or not the Sooners had run up the score and whether or not it was sportsmanlike.

11. Heisman finalists team up to beat Texas

Just a couple weeks before the iconic Baker Mayfield-Patrick Mahomes matchup, there was Mayfield and Dede Westbrook terrorizing Texas. Westbrook had 10 catches for 232 yards and three touchdowns in OU’s 45-40 win. All of his touchdowns were at least 42 yards long. Mayfield finished 22 of 31 for 390 yards as both he and Westbrook finished in the top four of Heisman Trophy voting that season.

12. Abdul Adams’ long run

OU had seen plenty of great running backs and big-time rushing performances before but Abdul Adams’ run against Baylor in 2017 was unlike any in program history. Pinned at their own 1, OU dialed up a handoff to Adams that was meant to give them some room to work. Instead, Adams juked near the OU 5, and then broke free and was never again in any serious danger of being brought down. Adams’ 99-yard touchdown run broke the program record for longest run, previously held by Jeff Frazier with his 96-yard run against North Texas in 1995.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Ranking Sooners' best football games of the Big 12 era