Tough break for the Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Adrian Peterson's first game in front of his father may have been the Oklahoma star tailback's final game of the season. <br/><br/>A Heisman Trophy hopeful, Peterson broke

Saturday, October 14th 2006, 7:46 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Adrian Peterson's first game in front of his father may have been the Oklahoma star tailback's final game of the season.

A Heisman Trophy hopeful, Peterson broke his collarbone on a fourth-quarter dive into the end zone during the 23rd-ranked Sooners' 34-9 victory over Iowa State on Saturday.

The injury occurred at the end of a 53-yard touchdown run with about 6:40 left in the game. The junior ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns playing for the first time in years before his father, who had spent about eight years in federal prison for money laundering.

``Just diving into the end zone and when he landed, he landed wrong,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. ``At this point it looks like the best thing, the earliest he would be ready to play, would be a bowl game.''

Peterson started strong with a 40-yard gain on his first carry to set up his 6-yard TD run two plays later.

His father, Nelson Peterson, watched it all from the stands just nine days after he was released from an Oklahoma City halfway house. He never saw his son play in high school or as he racked up an NCAA freshman record 1,925 rushing yards and finished second in the 2004 Heisman voting.

Paul Thompson threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns to Malcolm Kelly as Oklahoma bounced back from a 28-10 loss to Texas. Since Stoops' arrival in 1999, Oklahoma is 8-0 in games immediately following the Red River rivalry.

In between Peterson's big runs, Thompson and Kelly hooked up for scores from 9 and 15 yards, the latter giving the Sooners (4-2, 1-1 Big 12) a 24-7 halftime lead.

Iowa State's Todd Blythe beat Reggie Smith down the right sideline for a 31-yard TD catch from Bret Meyer to cut Oklahoma's lead to 14-7 late in the first quarter. The Cyclones' only other points came on a safety after Peterson and Thompson botched a handoff in the end zone early in the second half.

Peterson recovered the ball but then pitched it out of the back of the end zone as he was about to be tackled.

The Cyclones (3-4, 0-3) got only two first downs on their first six drives of the second half, and Meyer's first interception _ on a diving catch by Rufus Alexander _ set up Garrett Hartley's 35-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Peterson then weaved his way in on the 53-yard run, cutting around one Cyclones defender and just crossing the goal line before another dived to trip him up. It was his 26th _ and final _ carry of the game.

Hartley earlier connected from 46 yards and is 12-for-13 on field goals this season, with the only miss coming on a block that preserved Oregon's 34-33 win on Sept. 16.

Meyer finished with 149 yards on 14-for-24 passing with two interceptions. Stevie Hicks led Iowa State with 83 rushing yards, with 58 coming on the final play of the first half.

Oklahoma has won 10 straight against Iowa State and holds a 66-5-2 advantage in the series. The Sooners have also won all 12 of their home games against Big 12 North foes under Stoops.

All four of Iowa State's losses have come against Top 25 teams.