Ad Disclosure
Chase Brown joins elite Illini company with incredible performance in State College
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Chase Brown continues to be a huge part of Illinois’ offense.
His performance Saturday put him in some good company in the Illini record books.
Brown rushed for 223 yards and a touchdown on 33 attempts to help lead Illinois to a 20-18 upset victory of the No. 7-ranked Nittany Lions. It’s his second 200-yard rushing game of the year, making him the third Illini to ever do it twice.
The others? Howard Griffith and Rashard Mendenhall.
☑️ @HowardGriffith
☑️ @R_Mendenhall
☑️ @chasebrown____That's the (impressive) list of @IlliniFootball RBs to amass ✌️ 200-yard rushing days in a season. pic.twitter.com/ZXb0a6OwWI
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) October 23, 2021
Brown and Josh McCray were huge in the upset. McCray ran for 142 yards on 24 attempts as part of a powerful Illini rushing attack. It took pressure off Illinois quarterback Art Sitkowski, who threw for just 38 yards.
Illinois’ win over Penn State was the Illini’s first road victory over an AP Top-10 opponent since 2007. The Illini are now 3-5 on the year and are getting ready to face off with Rutgers next week at home.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.