Marcus' marvelous day

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The only thing standing between Marcus Thigpen and IU history was Illinois kicker Jason Reda.\n"I just knew I had one dude to beat, and it was the kicker," Thigpen said Saturday after IU's 34-32 comeback victory against Illinois. "I knew that wouldn't be a problem."\nThigpen fielded Reda's kickoff to begin the third quarter with IU trailing 25-21. Ninety-eight yards later, he left the Illini special teams' defenders behind him for the first Hoosier lead of the game and his third kickoff return touchdown of the season. With the return, the sophomore set a new IU record for returns in a season and also tied a Big Ten record held by Purdue's Stan Brown (1970) and Michigan State's DeAndra Cobb (2003).\nThigpen's touchdown to open the second half brought IU back from a 25-7 second-quarter deficit, capping 21 unanswered points by the Hoosiers and swinging the momentum to their side for the first time all game.\n"That made the momentum on our side," Thigpen said. "Every time I run a kick back, the defense gets real hyped. It did a lot for us."\nThe defense only allowed one touchdown after Thigpen's return, spurring IU's last-second victory.\nWhile the defense was holding the Illinois offense at bay, Thigpen continued his assault on the record books.\nTo go with his 197 return yards for the game -- an IU single-game record -- Thigpen set a career high with 91 rushing yards and also pitched in 23 yards receiving. His 311 total yards in the game is the fourth-best single-game total yardage in IU history.\nThigpen broke two other big plays that eventually led to IU touchdowns. On IU's first offensive drive of the game, Thigpen broke through defenders for a 44-yard run. IU freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis scored the first Hoosier touchdown two plays later.\n"We're running the ball better, and our special teams continue to pay off," IU coach Terry Hoeppner said after the game. "Marcus Thigpen, you can't say enough about him."\nAfter Illinois went up 25-7 early in the second quarter, Thigpen responded with a 60-yard kickoff return to put IU on the Illinois 40-yard line. After a five-play drive, IU fullback Josiah Sears scored his first touchdown of the day.\nThigpen's big day on the ground was just part of the story for the IU offense.\nAfter struggling to score in its last two games, the offense came back to life against Illinois, racking up 389 total yards. The rushing game returned after the Hoosiers only managed 167 rushing yards in the last two games combined.\nThe Hoosiers put up 149 yards on the ground against Illinois. Aside from Thigpen's 91 yards rushing, Lewis pitched in 47 yards and one touchdown, and Sears had 32 yards and two touchdowns.\n"(The win) gives us a good chance to build on something for the rest of the season," Sears said after the game. "This was a really big game because if you lose this game and go to 2-4, it's pretty tough to have a chance to go to a bowl game. To be 3-3 is so much better than being 2-4"