If you're a stock-market junkie, you must have loved Saturday's Penn State-Illinois football game — great returns all over the place.

The Nittany Lions ran two kicks back for touchdowns, making what could have been a lopsided Fighting Illini win a last-minute thriller.

After falling behind early in each of its previous seven games, Penn State scored the first time it touched the ball Saturday, as Bruce Branch ran a Steve Fitts punt back 70 yards just a minute and five seconds into the contest.

"The hole just opened wide," said Branch, who darted through the middle of the field untouched for the fourth touchdown return of his career, a Penn State record. "The coaches told us all week they (Illinois' return team) spread the field, so we just ran a middle return, it was just me and the kicker."

The Lions' last punt return for a score, also by Branch, had come two years ago against Michigan. The senior's latest effort moved him past O.J. McDuffie for the all-time lead.

Almost four quarters later, Larry Johnson ended another lengthy Lions return drought.

Penn State hadn't returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Blair Thomas took one back against Pittsburgh in 1986. But with the Lions trailing 27-21 with time winding down and the offense struggling, Johnson put State right back in the game. He hauled in Fitts' boot at the three, waited for his blocking to develop, then out-raced everyone save his brother Tony, who escorted Johnson to the end zone.

"The front line, the guys in the wedge were the ones that opened it up," Johnson said. "All I had to do was break a tackle, make one guy miss and those guys pretty much sealed off the corner for me, I cut back and after that it was all speed."

It was the third special-teams touchdown of the season for Johnson, who scored his first two off of blocked punts.

Both return men also contributed in other areas of the game — Branch had an interception, two pass breakups and three tackles at his starting right corner position. Johnson, a tailback, had eight carries for 31 yards — but their stellar special-team play gave the Lions the quick-strike threat the offense couldn't come up with.

"It gives our team all kinds of enthusiasm and confidence," Branch said. "The momentum switches to our side."

Penn State couldn't come up with enough plays in the other two phases of the game, but, as they have been all season long, the Lions' special teams kept the momentum changing like, well, a stock ticker.