IU hopes to make most of 5 yards

CHICAGO – Five yards has the potential to go a long way for the Hoosiers this year.\nCollege football’s newest rule has pushed back kickoffs to the 30-yard line, five yards further than last year. This will result in fewer kickoffs being caught as touchbacks and more returns.\nHoping to reap the benefits of this new rule is IU kick returner junior running back Marcus Thigpen, who took three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2006 while averaging 30.1 yards per return.\n“I’m excited because of the five yards extra I have to work with,” Thigpen said. “I get butterflies every time I get back there (to return a kick).”\nThigpen said that one of his personal goals, in addition to rushing for 1,000 yards, is to take five kickoffs for touchdowns this year.\nIU head coach Bill Lynch said his coaching staff has worked hard on orchestrating strong kickoff returns and coaching the right angles to take on a return, but also said that Thigpen’s skill is just as important for a successful return.\n“A lot of it is coaching,” Lynch said. “But to be able to hit that seam at 100 miles per hour and break that first tackle is talent.”\nPerhaps most excited about the new rule are Thigpen’s teammates who last year witnessed his returns. \n“Marcus is a highlight reel,” junior wide receiver James Hardy said. “He’s so fast, so explosive. Every time he touches the ball on a kick return, I think he’s going to take it to the house.”\nSenior Tracy Porter, who doubles as the team’s corner back and punt returner, could not stop smiling at the idea of the IU kick return team getting five more yards to work with.\n“Seeing Marcus run with that 4.2 speed and with an extra five yards, you may as well add six points for us,” Porter said. “He’s so deadly with the ball, and the five yards also gives the other 10 guys more time to set up their blocks.”\nAs excited as Thigpen is about the new rule, the rest of the coaches throughout the Big Ten recognize the significance of the five yards.\n“I think anytime you change the norm, you’ll see a little effect,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said, “and I kind of wish they changed it last year when number seven (Ohio State kick returner Ted Ginn Jr.) was in there running in the back, but nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see the change.”