Brown emerging as a star back with Illini

Chase Brown grew up dominating on London’s football fields, with his twin brother, Sydney. Now, he’s setting rushing records at the University of Illinois — with Sydney still by his side.

(Photo: Samantha Kaye Anderson / University of Illinois).

Chase Brown has been tearing up more Central Illinois soil than an International Harvester disc harrow.

That’s a farming pun – not lost on University of Illinois football faithful, but probably not in the wheelhouse of the 21-year-old London native who has, admittedly, been plowing through Big Ten opponents during his time in Champaign-Urbana.

Brown finds himself amidst a breakout season. Thus far, he’s tallied 852 yards on 143 carries and four touchdowns. He’s already posted two 200-yard games this year, a 257-yard effort against Charlotte on Oct. 2 and a 223-yard performance on the road against then-No. 7 Penn State. Last weekend, Brown helped Illinois beat its second ranked opponent on the road (No. 20 Minnesota) with a 148-yard day where he accounted for nearly all of Illinois’ 186 yards of running production.

The numbers are starting to add up everywhere – except in Brown’s head.

“You never know when it’s going to be ‘that kind of game,’” said the 5-foot-11 sophomore, whose twin brother, Sydney, is a defensive back for the Illini. “I try not to think about statistics during the game. I focus on one play at a time, one moment at a time, on my responsibility, my job. I try and make the most of every opportunity I get.

“Opportunities eventually stack up and you have one of those kinds of games. But they don’t happen without everybody doing the exact same thing. The O-line plays their butts off. I look forward to getting better at what we do as an offense and what the future has for us.”

Brown has been a huge piece of rookie Illini coach Bret Bielema’s team and his punishing run-first offense. It’s an exciting opportunity for a versatile running back like Brown, one who can shoot between the tackles, run the zone game, even fly out as a pass catcher.

Brown came out of St. Stephens Episcopal School (Fla.) ranked as the No. 57 running back in the United States. (The Chase brothers had made the move to the U.S. after playing two years of high school football at London South, following years playing minor football in the Forest City).

In 2018, Chase played all 13 games as a freshman at Western Michigan, where he racked up 352 yards on 71 carries. In 2019, he transferred to Illinois, where Sydney had enrolled for his college career. Chase had three years of eligibility remaining and was granted immediate eligibility prior to the Michigan game Oct. 12. He played four games before redshirting the remainder of the year.

In 2020, the running back started to get attention, leading an underperforming Illinois team with 540 yards rushing. Brown had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games against Rutgers (131 yards) and Nebraska (110 yards). He earned nods to the All-Big Ten third team (media) and All-Big Ten honourable mention team (coaches), and was named Football Canada’s 2020 Fans Choice Canadian NCAA Player of the Year.

Entering this season, the expectations were elevated. He was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten second team; Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten fourth team; and PFF Preseason All-Big Ten honorable mention. He was also on the Doak Walker Award watch list.

And Brown has not disappointed.

(Photo: Samantha Kaye Anderson / University of Illinois).

What Illini fans have been expecting, Brown announced to the rest of the nation with his game against Penn State. That performance – a 20-18 win in 9 OTs – set a record for most rushing yards by an opposing player at Beaver Stadium. He joined Howard Griffith (1990) and Rashard Mendenhall (2007) as the only players in program history with multiple 200-yard rushing games in a single season.

“After a game like that (Penn State), the body is a little bit sore and the mind is a little bit fatigued. But that game was a lot of fun to be a part of, and it was even sweeter when we came out with the win,” Brown said. “When you’re on the football field, surrounded by 105,000 people, that’s what I came to Illinois to do, those are the moments I was looking forward to. That’s why I play college football.”

Part of Brown’s ability to bulk up his body of work has come from some offseason bulking of his physical body.

In 2020, Brown’s playing weight hovered around 188 pounds – too small for the rigours of his work. He would throw a stiff arm, lower a shoulder, or simply try to push through the line, but it wasn’t working.

“I knew right away that I needed to change. Football is something I take seriously. Sometimes, you gotta change. You gotta adjust,” he explained. “My body just couldn't hold up. I was overly sore all the time.”

After Illinois fired head coach Lovie Smith and replaced him with Bielema, Brown had a conversation with the new coach. While watching film of the previous season, Bielema offered some guidance, some things to work on over the summer, and left his running back with one last challenge.

He wanted Brown’s body to be prepared for the pounding of a Big Ten season and set a target for him to hit 210 pounds. That would be a huge leap.

Not done yet. https://t.co/XaYoeNMUA0

— CHASE BROWN (@chasebrown____) November 9, 2021

“But I knew that was going to be something I had to work on,” Brown said. “That’s honestly all he had to say. I dialed in on my nutrition and what I was putting in my body.”

He and his brother had gone vegan, depending largely on beans, protein shakes and tofu scrambles. The brothers moved away from the diet this season. Brown also credits strength and conditioning coach Tank Wright for helping him gain weight – in a healthy manner – for this season.

“I feel like new. Now, I’ve got my strength back. I feel powerful. I can take hits and deal with the brutality of the Big Ten as a running back,” Brown said.

As for the remainder of the season, he is taking life one game at a time.

The Illini (4-6) must win their final two games of the season in order to qualify for a bowl game. Up next is No. 19 Iowa on Nov. 20 in Iowa City.

But even if he’s hesitant to look too far into the future, Brown is more than willing to look back to his Forest City roots.

“The sacrifices my brother and I made paid off. That’s why we're in the position we’re in,” said Brown, whose father, Darren Issac, was a running back in the CFL, and mother, Raechel Brown, was a former figure skater. “My family. My coaches. Everyone we met who helped us. It was a mixture of sacrifice and guidance. I’m just grateful for the people I have in my life.”