Atmosphere helps propel IU to victory

In a town synonymous with basketball, Bloomington became a football town – if only for a night.\nThe Hoosiers had grown accustomed to playing in front of sellout crowds, but it was always on the road. For the first time this season, IU played in front of a sellout at “The Rock,” and the team didn’t disappoint, beating rival Purdue 27-24 in dramatic fashion and likely earning its first bowl game since 1993.\n“It was amazing,” junior running back Marcus Thigpen said after getting a career-high 140 rushing yards. “Just seeing that many people there, they talked about it, but I was still in shock when I saw it.”\nThe Hoosiers credited the crowd for providing a raucous atmosphere, one that began with one of the traditions that late coach Terry Hoeppner brought to IU. “The Walk,” where the team made its way toward Memorial Stadium before the game, was the beginning of a memorable night for the Hoosiers\n“The Walk was absolutely unexplainable,” sophomore wide receiver Andrew Means said. “You really couldn’t put words into what The Walk meant to us. Just having everybody out there was just an amazing thing to see.”\nWhen the game finally got underway, the Hoosiers used their adrenaline to get off to a hot start, jumping the Boilermakers early and establishing a three-touchdown lead in the third quarter. The Hoosier faithful were as deafening in the second half as they were at the opening kickoff. \n“It had to be the best (crowd),” senior cornerback Tracy Porter said. “Having them cheering every single time we touched the field was huge for us. We really loved it.”\nBut the night wasn’t perfect for IU. Just as it appeared that the Hoosiers would cruise to an easy victory, the Boilermakers came storming back, reeling off three straight touchdowns to tie the game with less than five minutes left. Junior cornerback Christopher Phillips, who had an interception in the third quarter, said even when Purdue made its push the home crowd was as loud as ever.\n“Even during the plays that didn’t go our way we still had the momentum of the crowd regardless of the outcome,” Phillips said. “It was amazing.”\nThe atmosphere of the game went to new heights after junior kicker Austin Starr’s game-winning 49-yard field goal floated through the uprights. When the final whistle blew, the Marching Hundred was unable to come onto the field to play the fight song with the team as is the custom. The reason: The fans raided the field first, starting a postgame celebration unlike any the IU football program has seen in over a decade.\n“I was a deer with headlights,” Porter said. “But to have them rush on the field, the football team embraced them like they were family, because they were behind us through thick and thin.”\nThe atmosphere and support of the fans was something senior linebacker Adam McClurg said he had been waiting five years for. McClurg said because the team came through with a victory, he hopes to see sellout crowds at Memorial Stadium more often next season.\n“That’s what we’ve been waiting for,” McClurg said. “We need these fans to keep coming and keep supporting and eventually this program will get turned around.”