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HOUSTON – They stormed the field as if they had won the Rose Bowl. Or the BCS Championship game. A year after 3-9, any bowl win feels great.

Led by a redshirt freshman quarterback and a record-setting townie, Illinois won its first postseason game since 1999.

The 38-14 victory against Baylor gave Illinois a 7-6 record, its first winning season since 2007 and the fourth since 1994.

In a 184-yard, three-touchdown game, Champaign's Mikel Leshoure set school records for rushing yards, touchdowns and scoring in a season.

Afterward, Leshoure ran to the stands to find his mom, Jazz. He handed her his No. 5 jersey.

"Oh, my God, I'm so excited," she said. "Tears are just rolling. I can't stop crying. This is exactly what I wanted to see, and I'm so happy for him."

"To get here is a good thing but to win is even better," Leshoure said. "It tops our season off. It shows that hard work pays off."

Texas Bowl MVP Leshoure got all sorts of help from quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase. The first-year starter hit 13 of 13 passes in the first half and finished the game with 242 passing yards and a 55-yard touchdown run in the final minutes.

"Nathan Scheelhaase has gotten better, like we knew he would, every game," Illinois coach Ron Zook said.

"When we talk about our passing game, we talk about completions, completions," Scheelhaase said. "Starting out that way was something we wanted to do."

The postgame celebration included the obligatory Gatorade bath for Zook, who earned his first bowl win as a head coach. The players ran to their fans, who crowded the railings near the field.

"I don't know that there was a lot of people who gave us much of a chance in this game," Zook said. "You love to compete. If you can prove people wrong, it's something that you get satisfaction from. But it's not why you do it. I'm happy for everybody. I'm happy for our players and their families and the ones who spent a lot of money to come out here. It's going to be all worth it and they can say they enjoyed the trip."

Zook has said for weeks he wanted the Texas Bowl to serve as a starting point for the 2011 season. It won't count in the standings, but in his mind the team is 1-0.

There are plenty of issues to be addressed before Illinois steps on the field again. Leshoure, linebacker Martez Wilson and defensive tackle Corey Liuget will need to decide if they will return for their senior seasons. Wilson and Liuget led a dominating performance by the Illini defense, which kept Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III from becoming a factor before the score was 24-0.

Leshoure said he doesn't know about next season and the NFL.

"I haven't gotten to that and decided what I'm going to do," Leshoure said. "Not yet."

Late in the game, Zook found out Leshoure needed 23 yards to break Rashard Mendenhall's single-season rushing record. The coach was going to make sure he got it.

"I was keeping count," Zook said. "I thought it was important for us to get that. All we had to do was tell the offensive line and Nathan that we needed 23 yards. (Leshoure) did the rest."

After the game, Leshoure carried his MVP trophy and wore a cowboy hat.

"It started with the rodeo a couple of days ago," Leshoure said. "That was a good experience for me. I like the hat. First cowboy hat. Instead of using it as a souvenir, I might wear it out some time."

PLAY OF THE GAME

It was early, so it won't get a lot of attention, but Travon Bellamy stopped Baylor's opening drive with a scoop and 46-yard run of a fumbled lateral. The play set up the first of three Derek Dimke field goals for the Illini and showed the Bears it wasn't going to be an easy night against the rejuvenated Illinois defense. Robert Griffin III had his moments but wasn't a major factor on the ground and got the bulk of his passing yards in the second half.

NUMBERS GAME

1,697

That's the final rushing total for Mikel Leshoure, the best season in school history. If he comes back for his senior year, he will have a great chance to break Robert Holcombe's career rushing record. But that's a topic for another day. For now, the Texas Bowl MVP wants to celebrate a winning season and a whole bunch of records. The petitioning from his teammates figures to start as soon as he gets back to campus.

WHAT IT MEANS

Winter workouts, spring practices and even Camp Rantoul are going to be happier for the Illini. Just the fourth winning season since 1994 was also Ron Zook's first bowl win as a head coach. He entered the season as a guy with a place on a major hot seat. But there will be no "tough talks" with Ron Guenther this time. He'll get a pat on the back and point toward 2011, when Illinois plays eight home games.

WHAT'S NEXT

A break for the players. Their semester vacation starts today. The coaches will quickly go back to work on recruiting and preparing for upcoming spring practice. We'll have to see if there are any changes on the Illinois staff. Right now, everybody is expected back, but there could be a move or two depending on what happens elsewhere in college football. Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning have enjoyed their first year at Illinois and are scheduled to return.