“The flip side of that for those two guys is they literally have to be on call at all times. There are certain plays, certain things we feel fits their skill set a little bit better; Chase versus Reggie,” Bielema said. “We’ll kind of cater to that while they’re in there. On the flip side of it, Barry is calling a game as he has to. We’ll let him know when a player goes in there but he’s got autonomy to make any call he wants at any given time, but he obviously wants to know what player he’s got in there, especially at tailback.”
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Bret Bielema hints at possible No. 2 back behind Chase Brown
By Kate Norum
Published:
As the days pass by without Josh McCray, Illinois is in search of a No. 2 running back.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has a lot to weigh on for the number two RB spot and relying on only Chase Brown might not be the best move at the end of the day, obtaining 36 carries per game.
Brown is the Fighting Illini’s lead running back having over 350 yards in the first two games of the season, one of the best in the Big Ten conference. McCray, on the other hand, was set to be the number two back. But, an injury in Week Zero for McCray against Wyoming changed the entire trajectory for that coveted number two spot.
The competition is now between Reggie Love and Chase Hayden. Bielema discussed who will best take on this role for Illinois in a statement per Joey Wagner of 247Sports.
Kate Norum covers college football for Saturday Tradition. She graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in journalism and has always been passionate about sports. Follow Kate on Twitter @katenorum