Chris Thompson spent a long night in the hospital after last years Wake Forest game with two broken vertebrae in his back.

He wasnt sure if he would walk again let alone ever step foot on a field again.

I was in that hospital bed and so many thoughts were going through my mind, Thompson said. I didnt know if I wanted to play football again. I didnt know if I was going to play. I didnt know if I was going to be walking straight or anything like that.

Thompson didnt need surgery, rehabilitated with FSUs training staff and was back in August for practice. And he had some good runs in the first two games of the season. But he saved something special for Saturday.

After what was an emotional week, Thompson delivered two breathtaking runs of 74-yard and 80-yard touchdown on back-to-back plays in the second quarter of No. 5 Florida States 52-0 rout of Wake Forest before 68,833 fans at Doak Campbell Stadium.

In his third game back for FSU (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), Thompson ran for 197 yards on nine carries all of them in the first half.

What a difference a year makes, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. It cant happen to a better young man.

The always-smiling Thompson was quick to praise his teammates for his long runs, which were boosted by blocks initially from the offensive line and fullback Lonnie Pryor as well as downfield blocks from wide receivers.

They were giving me all the props for making the touchdowns, but all I had to pretty much do was just run, Thompson said. I didnt have to make any great cuts. I didnt have to break any tackles, anything. My long runs were pretty much just open field runs. I thank those guys for doing that.

The appreciation was mutual. Thompson received a game ball in an emotional postgame locker room, and teammates were thrilled for him to have a big game against the team that he was injured against just 11 months ago.

Excerpt from:
RB Chris Thompson’s stellar day in FSU’s rout of Wake Forest caps personal comeback