Thompson Rushes for 377 Yards : College Football: Indiana tailback breaks NCAA record of 357 yards set by Mayes and equaled by Pringle.

Anthony Thompson took off running Saturday and didn’t stop until he had an NCAA single-game rushing record of 377 yards.

Thompson knew from the first time he touched the ball that something special might be ahead.

“The first play, where I went off tackle between Todd Oberdorf and Ian Beckles--I mean there was a hole you could drive a semi through. I just took off running and I felt it was going to be a great day for me.”

That eight-yard gain was just the beginning. When Indiana had completed its 45-17 rout of Wisconsin, Thompson had a school-record 52 carries.

“It’s a great honor to set a record like that--but it all happens up front,” said Thompson, who broke the previous record of 357 yards set by Rueben Mayes of Washington State against Oregon in 1984 and equaled last weekend by Mike Pringle of Cal State Fullerton against New Mexico State.

The Big Ten record was 350 yards, set in 1971 by Eric Allen of Michigan State against Purdue.

“I think if I was a little faster I could have got maybe 500 yards, the way they were blocking out there today,” Thompson said.

Pringle, who heard the announcement during Fullerton’s game against Cal State Long Beach, said: “I congratulate Anthony Thompson. He probably stayed in the whole game. It looks like he did. (He was taken out of the game with slightly less than five minutes remaining.) You never know what would’ve happened if I had played the whole game. . . . That’s some consolation, I guess.”

“We tried everything we could,” said Wisconsin Coach Don Morton, whose defense gave up four touchdowns to the Indiana tailback.

“We tried every defensive scheme, stunt . . . slant, blitz, every combination of things.

“We just had a difficult time tackling him.

“I think it’s safe to say Anthony Thompson had a Heisman Trophy kind of day.”

But Thompson, considered one of several candidates for the award, wasn’t concerned.

“I really don’t know what my chances are,” he said. “I really didn’t pay any intention.”

Indiana Coach Bill Mallory put Thompson back in the game with three minutes left so he could get the record. And Thompson did it with a 27-yard run--his longest of the game.

“I didn’t know at all. Coach just smiled at me and told me to go back in. I smelled something fishy was going on,” Thompson said.

After the game, Thompson’s teammates gave him a cool reception--they cheered him and then stuffed him in an ice dumpster.

Indiana (5-4) kept its bowl hopes alive and evened its conference record at 3-3. Wisconsin dropped to 2-7 and 1-5 in Big Ten play in a game that attracted only 37,442 fans to 77,000-seat Camp Randall Stadium.

Thompson scored from the three and seven in the first half when the Hoosiers took a 24-0 lead.

TOP RUSHERS A look at the top single-game rushing performances in NCAA Division I-A history.

Player School Yds Anthony Thompson Indiana 377 Mike Pringle CS Fullerton 357 Rueben Mayes Washington St. 357 Eddie Lee Ivery Georgia Tech 356 Eric Allen Michigan St. 350 Paul Palmer Temple 349 Ricky Bell USC 347 Ron Johnson Michigan 347 Tony Jeffery Texas Christian 343 Roosevelt Leaks Texas 342 Charlie Davis Colorado 342