Samaje Perine Helped Off Field Following Brutal Hit by D.J. Reader

Samaje Perine got absolutely lit up by Clemson’s D.J. Reader midway through the third quarter of the Orange Bowl. The Oklahoma running back took an inside handoff from Baker Mayfield and cut to his right while Reader had slipped a block and was right there to plow through him with a vicious, Clowney-esque hit.

Perine was helped to the sideline with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Here’s another angle of the hit:

Shortly after, Perine was on the sidelines walking without a limp and eventually returned to the game.

If Perine isn’t at 100 percent, it would be a huge hit for the Sooners. The sophomore rushed for 1,291 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, and turning things up big time down the stretch. He had 12 touchdowns over Oklahoma’s final six games of the regular season and went for 485 yards and five scores in the final three contests of the year.