Illinois notebook: Thigpen's the guy who makes things happen
Indiana junior running back Marcus Thigpen isn't a big guy, but the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder makes big plays.
Just ask Illinois coach Ron Zook. When Illinois (2-1) plays at Indiana (3-0) in the Big Ten Conference opener Saturday (11 a.m., Big Ten Network), the Illini must stop Thigpen, whose 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown gave Indiana its first lead in a 34-32 victory at Illinois last season.
"Not only can a return guy be hot in a game,'' Zook said, "but if you go back to what (Devin) Hester is doing for the Bears, he was doing in college. There's a knack for that. Maybe it's God-given ability. I don't know what it is. They have a knack for making things happen.''
Thigpen made them happen last season by leading the nation with a 30.1-yard average per kickoff return. His three kickoff returns for a touchdown were also a nation's best. The Detroit native had his best day at Illinois. Thigpen returned four kicks for 197 yards (49.3 average) against the Illini.
"The kickoff return by Marcus got us back in the game,'' Indiana coach Bill Lynch said. "If we don't have that kickoff return, I don't know if we get back into it.''
A speedster who finished sixth in the 100-meter dash at the Big Ten outdoor championships, Thigpen was clocked at 4.27 seconds in the 40-yard dash, according to Indiana. Three Internet sites, including ESPN, named Thigpen as an All-America last fall.
Thigpen had only two returns in the first three games this season, compiling 46 yards while teams attempt to keep the ball away from him.
"As a coach, you don't want to make him hot,'' Zook said. "He's got an opportunity to take it back against anybody. I've been around a lot of coaches who would say, 'Let's kick it to him.' I respect his ability.''
Thigpen also had a career-high 91 yards rushing against Illinois last season.
OTHER JUICE: Illinois senior safety Kevin Mitchell stepped up and introduced himself at his first team meeting more than five years ago and instantly had a new nickname.
"He looks like Beetlejuice,'' said former safety Kyle Kleckner, referring to a regular guest on the the Howard Stern Show aired on cable TV years ago. That regular visitor to Stern's show wasn't a particularly intelligent or handsome man.
"From there, it stuck. It's shortened up now,'' said Mitchell, the original Juice before the arrival of quarterback Juice Williams. "I knew who it was. My brothers and dad knew who it was. They were laughing like crazy. Some people said, 'I can see it.' I was, 'No, you can't see it.' ''
Mitchell, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native, is 1-2 against Indiana. His father, Stephan, played safety on the 1979 Hoosiers team that appeared in the Holiday Bowl under coach Lee Corso.
STREAKS: Illinois holds a 41-20-3 series advantage over Indiana -- Illinois' best winning percentage against a Big Ten opponent -- but the Illini endured one of their worst stretches against the Hoosiers by losing three of the last four meetings. Illinois lost three straight to Indiana from 1978 to 1980 and four consecutive from 1967 to 1970.
The Illini also have a 13-game losing streak in Big Ten openers, a record for conference teams. The Illini lost those openers by an average of 18.9 points. Illinois hasn't led a conference opener since 2002. Of course, playing Michigan five times to start Big Ten play in those 13 years doesn't help the winning percentage.
Indiana seeks its first 4-0 start since 1990.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more Illini coverage, see Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .