Who do you think is the best football player

College career[edit] Freshman season[edit] Peterson before a game against Washington Huskies. Peterson attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for coach Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners football team from 2004 to 2006. During his freshman season at Oklahoma, Peterson broke several NCAA freshman rushing records, rushing for 1,925 yards and leading the nation in carries with 339.[6] In the first nine games of the season, he rushed for more than 100-yards, which is a freshman record.[21] He rushed for 100 yards in the season opener against Bowling Green,[22] 117 yards against Houston, 183 yards against Oregon, 146 yards against Texas Tech, 225 yards against Texas, 130 yards against Kansas State, and 122 yards against Kansas.[21][23] Against Oklahoma State on October 30, 2004, Peterson had an 80-yard touchdown run and rushed for 161 yards in the third quarter, finishing with a career-high 249 yards.[24] Despite dislocating his left shoulder in the first half, he managed to run for 101 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, his ninth straight 100-yard game, against Texas A&M.[25] In the next game, he saw little action because of his shoulder injury and finished with 58 yards, which ended his streak of consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing at 9.[26] In a game versusBaylor, Peterson ran for 240 yards, including three second-half touchdowns,[27] and set the NCAA record for most 100-yard games by a freshman with 11 against Colorado.[28]Oklahoma, who were one of the poorest rushing teams the year before, became one of the nation’s best. Despite his record-breaking season, he finished second to USC quarterback Matt Leinart in the Heisman Trophy voting.[6] Among other honors, he was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award,[29] and the first Oklahoma freshman recognized as a First-Team Associated Press All-American.[6] Peterson contributed to a perfect regular season for the Oklahoma Soonersand participated in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game with a berth to the 2005 Orange Bowl against USC Trojans.[29] USC retooled their defense to stop Peterson and limited him to just 82 yards, as the Trojans defeated the Sooners, 55–19. USC later vacated the win due to NCAA infractions. After the season, he had surgery on his left shoulder to strengthen the muscles around the joint.[10] Sophomore season[edit] In 2005, Peterson's playing time was limited by a broken foot.[2] He injured his ankle in the first Big 12 Conference game of the season against Kansas State.[31] Despite missing time in four games, he rushed for 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries, finishing second in Big 12 rushing yardage.[6] His 2005 season was also notable for a career-long 84-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State.[6] Oklahoma finished the season with an 8–4 record, the worst season since 1999. They finished third in the Big 12 behind the Texas Longhorns and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners would represent the Big 12 in theHoliday Bowl where they defeated the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks, 17–14.[32] On July 11, 2007, the NCAA announced the Sooners would have to vacate all victories from the 2005 season, including the bowl game, due to NCAA violations;[33] however, the decision was partially overturned in February 2008, and the NCAA reinstated the Sooners' 8–4 record from the season.[34] Upon the conclusion of the season, he was named a member of the All-Big 12 Conference team.[6] Junior season[edit] Peterson runs against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, was released from prison during the 2006 college football season and was able to watch his son as a spectator for the first time on October 14, 2006,[13] when Oklahoma played Iowa State. Oklahoma defeated Iowa State in that game, however, on the final drive for the Sooners, Peterson broke his collar bone when he dove into the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown run.[35] During a press conference on October 18, Peterson said he was told by doctors to expect to be out for 4–6 weeks.[36] At the time of the injury, Peterson needed only to gain 150 yards to pass Billy Sims as the University of Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher.[37] He was unable to return for the rest of the Sooners' regular season and missed seven games. The Sooners would turn to Allen Patrick, a junior, and Chris Brown, a freshman to replace Peterson. The team went on a seven game winning streak including winning the Big 12 Championship game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.[38] He returned for their last game against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, where he rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown.[35] He refused to discuss his plans beyond the end of this season with the press.[36] He concluded his college football career with 1,112 rushing yards his final season, even after missing multiple games due to injury [39] for a total of 4,245 rushing yards (only three seasons).[40] He was 73 yards short of passing Billy Sims as Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher.[40] Awards and honors[edit] Hall Trophy (2004) Associated Press first-team All-Freshman (2004) Unanimous first-team All-American (2004) Doak Walker Award finalist (2004) Heisman Trophy finalist (2004) Jim Brown Trophy (2004) Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team (2009) Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award (2013)