NORMAN, Okla. - Saturday was a throwback game for Samaje Perine and No. 17 Oklahoma.

Perine, who ran for more than 1,700 yards as a freshman last season but had been mostly bottled up this year, broke free once again and rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns in the Sooners' 63-27 win over Texas Tech at Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

"We had gaping holes to run through and we just got the ball and hit it full speed," Perine said.

It was Perine's biggest rushing day since he set an NCAA single-game record with 427 rushing yards last November against Kansas.

"He's an incredible person, teammate. He's a humble guy," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. "It isn't just about him. You could not get a better person to play that way - to not become selfish after the year he had a year ago. He understands."

It wasn't just Perine against the Red Raiders.

Redshirt freshman Joe Mixon ran for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) took advantage with 405 rushing yards against the Big 12's worst run defense.

The game was billed as Baker Mayfield's chance to go head-to-head with his former team.

And Mayfield was front and center throughout the game. Even when he wasn't quarterbacking the Sooners, he was signaling plays for the defense to take advantage of his familiarity with Texas Tech's offense.

Mayfield started seven games for the Red Raiders (5-3, 2-3) in 2013, becoming the first true freshman walk-on quarterback to start a season opener for a power conference school. After that season, Mayfield transferred and sat out last year, losing a season of eligibility in the process.

Mayfield downplayed the storyline throughout the week but said after the game that it did add a bit of fuel for him.

"Obviously football's an emotional game and I used to attend there. It's just a fact," Mayfield said. "So there was a little bit coming into it but I had to look at it like a normal game. That's the focus we came into it with."

After a pair of first-half turnovers helped keep the game relatively tight at halftime, the Sooners pulled away in the second half and outscored Tech 35-10.

Oklahoma intercepted Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II four times, with three different linebackers and cornerback Dakota Austin, who came into the game after starter Zack Sanchez was hurt on the first play, picking off Mahomes.

"I didn't think any of them were bad reads," Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "A couple of them got deflected, (Eric) Striker made a great play, which he's a great player. The last one got knocked out of his hand and they picked it off. So, turn it over four times against OU at home, that's what's going to happen."

Mayfield settled in after an early interception, completing 15 of 22 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

But the focus for OU's offense wound up being Perine and Mixon.

The Sooners came out on the second drive and mostly kept the ball on the ground, running on seven of eight plays and marching right down the field. Only one play on the drive - a 3-yard loss by Mayfield - went for fewer than four yards.

Oklahoma got on the board on Mixon's 11-yard touchdown run.

Just three plays later Striker, blitzing from the edge, leaped up two yards behind the line of scrimmage and picked off Mahomes' pass. Striker returned the pick - the first of his career - to the Texas Tech 3-yard line.

On the first play of the next drive, Perine was hit by two defensive players in the backfield but broke free and fell across the goal line to put Oklahoma up 14-0.

"I thought I had a good stiff arm," Striker said. "I got tripped up. I hated that. I really wished I could have scored. But we scored. We got six points out of it."

It was easy to nitpick after a 36-point win but it was far from easy early.

The Sooners were up 21-3 and driving, looking like they were about to turn the game into a rout, but they turned the ball over twice in succession and Texas Tech took advantage.

First, Sooners wide receiver Jarvis Baxter fumbled after an 18-yard gain and Tech safety Jah'Shawn Johnson picked it up and returned it 50 yards to set up the Red Raiders' first touchdown.

On the next drive, Oklahoma quickly gained 32 yards on three running plays before Mayfield was intercepted by Justis Nelson, who returned it 45 yards.

It took Texas Tech just four plays to score another touchdown - a 13-yard run by DeAndre Washington - pulling the Red Raiders to within 21-17.

NOTES: Oklahoma LB Jordan Evans and RB Daniel Brooks missed the game with injuries. Evans was replaced in the starting lineup by Frank Shannon, who made his first start since the Sugar Bowl following the 2013 season. Shannon was suspended from the school for the 2014 season. ... Texas Tech OT Le'Raven Clark, who was injured early in the win over Kansas a week earlier, returned to the lineup. ... Oklahoma freshman K/P Austin Seibert missed his first career field goal late in the first half. Seibert had made 10 consecutive field goal tries to begin his career. ... There was a pregame moment of silence for the tragedy in Stillwater, Okla., where at least four people were killed by an alleged drunk driver during Oklahoma State's homecoming parade. ... Oklahoma travels to Kansas on Saturday while Texas Tech hosts Oklahoma State.