Indiana University Athletics
Thigpen Garners National Attention
11/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore running back/kick returner Marcus Thigpen was named to the Second-Annual All-Film Team by ESPN.com's Todd McShay. McShay selected Thigpen as the kick returner for his national team after Thigpen averaged 30.1 yards per kickoff return and ran three kicks back for touchdowns.
Thigpen is among good company on McShay's squad, joining Heisman candidates Troy Smith (quarterback) of Ohio State, Darren McFadden (running back) of Arkansas and Calvin Johnson (wide receiver) of Georgia Tech. Thigpen was named a midseason All-American by SI.com and CBSSportsline.com in October.
Thigpen finished the season with a 30.1-yard average, second only to Oklahoma State's Grant Jones in the nation. His three touchdowns were tops in the country. He netted his third TD sprint of the season at Illinois on Oct. 7, matching a Big Ten single-season record held by Purdue's Stan Brown (1970) and Michigan State's DeAndra Cobb (2003) and putting him atop the Indiana career touchdown return list.
In his top performance of the season, Thigpen racked up a school-record 197 return yards on four kickoffs (49.3 average) in the Hoosiers' thrilling 34-32 victory over the Fighting Illini. Additionally, Thigpen gained a career-high 91 yards on the ground, including a career-long, 44-yard rush, and 23 receiving yards. His 311 all-purpose yards is the fourth-best single-game effort in Indiana history.
The sophomore also ran kicks back against Connecticut (88 yards) and Ball State (100 yards). He became the third player in IU history to return a kick 100 yards for a score, joining Derin Graham (vs. Wisconsin, 10/3/98) and Freal McIntosh (vs. Washington & Lee, 1915).
Thigpen finished the season with 723 return yards, the third-most in IU history. He holds the longest (100-yarder at Ball State) and second-longest (98-yarder at Illinois) kick returns in school history.
