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It has been an eventful stretch for Chase Brown. The Illinois star became the season's first 1,000-yard rusher in the Football Bowl Subdivision on Oct. 15 and only the third player in program history to reach the milestone in back-to-back years. He was named an Associated Press midseason All-American on Tuesday and the next day the Illini unveiled a "Chasing History" webpage to promote his candidacy for postseason honors. The fifth-year running back is the undisputed headliner of a resurgent Illinois team that, at No. 18, has its highest ranking since 2011 and is first in the Big Ten West. "I wanted this season to be something to remember," Brown said. "Right now we're just over halfway, and I'm not just happy with the wins. Personally, I think we can push this way further than where it is right now. I'm so excited to see where it can end up." Brown managed to rush for 1,005 yards last season despite missing two games because of injury, and he has prioritized taking care of his body with the Illini (6-1, 3-1) relying on him more this year.

He's carrying the ball an average of 10 times more per game, and he set a national single-game high with 41 attempts for 180 yards in a 26-14 win over Minnesota on Oct. 15. He also caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Tommy DeVito in that game. Illinois visits Nebraska this week, and backup running back Josh McCray, injured in the season opener, could be available to take some of the load off Brown. Brown's 1,059 yards rushing and his per-game averages of 27.4 carries and 29.6 scrimmage touches lead the nation. "He's a workhorse man," Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. "Their scheme matches what he does really well, especially their counter game and their power game. He's a special back. He's got speed, twitch, quickness, power. He's got it all." - AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/17/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

OCT 17 BIG TEN CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chase Brown, Illinois, RB - Jr. - London, Ontario - St. Stephens Episcopal (Fla.),...Rushed for 180 yards against Minnesota, adding to his national leading total of 1,059 and becoming the first running back in the country to reach 1,000 yards rushing this season...Tallied 233 all-purpose yards against the Gophers, pushing his NCAA-leading total to 1,166 yards...Becomes the first Illini back to open a season with eight-straight 100-yard games, moving past Howard Griffith, Rashard Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas, Juice Williams, Mikel Leshoure, and Josh Ferguson to jump from 12th to sixth on the Illinois all-time rushing list...Earns his fourth career Offensive Player of the Week award...Last Illinois Offensive Player of the Week: Chase Brown (Aug. 29, 2022). - Big Ten Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
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10/15/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Chase Brown rushed for 180 yards on a career-high 41 carries and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass, Minnesota was limited to its fewest yards in five years, and No. 24 Illinois won its fifth straight game with a 26-14 victory Saturday. The Illini (6-1, 3-1) became bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 and will end the day tied for first in the Big Ten West. Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 127 yards, his nation-leading 14th straight 100-yard game and the bulk of the Gophers' 180 total yards. It was the fewest yards against Illinois by a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since at least 2000.

Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, held to just 21 yards on 4-for-12 passing, left early in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to the head. Athan Kaliakmanis entered for the Gophers (4-2, 1-2) and was intercepted twice. Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito, back from an ankle injury that forced him out of last week's game at Iowa in the first half, ran for a 5-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to put the Illini up 20-14. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. Brown went over 1,000 yards rushing for a second straight year with his eighth straight 100-yard game. He now has 13 100-yard games, second most at Illinois behind Robert Holcombe's 16 from 1994-97. Brown got wide open on a wheel route for his 40-yard touchdown to finish Illinois' nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the game. Fabrizio Pinton tacked on a 31-yard field goal to give the Illini a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
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10/10/22 - Fabrizio Pinton, rSr/2026, Illinois, 6-2, 230 (DS#999 K) + More +

OCT 10 BIG TEN SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Fabrizio Pinton, Illinois, K/P - Fr. - Houston, Texas - The Woodlands,...Recorded all nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 field goals in Illinois' 9-6 victory over Iowa on Saturday...Kicked his first-career field goal, a 27-yarder, to give the Illini a 3-0 lead at the 9:03 mark of the first quarter...Scored the game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter with a 36-yarder that capped a nine-play, 26-yard drive to give the Illini a 9-6 lead with 2:49 remaining in the game...Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career...Earns the first Freshman of the Week honor of his career...Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Blake Hayes (Nov. 8, 2021)...Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Deuce Spann (Aug. 30, 2021). - Big Ten Football

(DS#999 K) rSr/2026

K Fabrizio Pinton, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
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10/03/22 - John Paddock, rSr/2024, Illinois, 5-11, 193 (DS#58 QB) + More +

OCT 3 MAC WEST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: John Paddock, Ball State, QB, R-Junior, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Bloomfield Hills),...Paddock led the way offensively after throwing 40-of-58 for 403 yards and three touchdowns. It's the most yards thrown by a Cardinal since Drew Plitt had 439 vs. Fordham on Sept. 7, 2019 and the eighth-most passing yards in program history. Paddock captained what was the third-largest comeback in program history, as the Cardinals came back from trailing 21-0 to win 44-38 in two overtimes vs. NIU. After trailing 24-7 at halftime, Paddock went 23-of-34 for 237 yards and two touchdowns and led the offense to score on six of its eight drives in the second half and overtime to highlight the comeback. Paddock connected with nine different receivers, including seven with multiple catches and four with at least six receptions for 70-plus yards. Through five games, Paddock leads the conference and is ninth in the country with 1,538 passing yards and is second in the league with 11 touchdowns through the air. - MAC Football

(DS#58 QB) rSr/2024

QB John Paddock, Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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10/01/22 - John Paddock, rSr/2024, Illinois, 5-11, 193 (DS#58 QB) + More +

John Paddock passed for 403 yards, Carson Steele's third rushing touchdown was the go-ahead score in the second overtime and Ball State defeated Northern Illinois 44-38 on Saturday after trailing by 17 points at the half. Ball State's win overshadowed a 230-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance by Harrison Waylee of Northern Illinois. After Steele's short touchdown in the second overtime, a sack by Ball State's Cole Pearce left NIU facing fourth-and-19 from the 34-yard line then Ethan Hampton's fourth-down pass was broken up by Tyler Potts.

Paddock completed 40 of 58 passes and threw for three touchdowns. Jayshon Jackson had 10 receptions for 116 yards. Tanner Koziol had two TD catches, including a 6-yarder with 36 second left in regulation as the Cardinals scored 10 points in 3 1/2 minutes to force overtime. As much as Ball State (2-3, 1-1 Mid-American) went to the air, Northern Illinois (1-4, 0-1) kept to the ground. The Huskies had 57 rushes for 332 yards. Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime and Ball State failed on a two-point attempt following Steele's go-ahead touchdown. The Cardinals won the Battle for the Bronze Stalk. The trophy has been awarded to the winner of this matchup since 2008. - Ball State/AP College Football

(DS#58 QB) rSr/2024

QB John Paddock, Illinois
News Source: Ball State/AP College Football
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10/01/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Chase Brown rushed for 129 yards, Tommy DeVito had three short touchdown keepers and Illinois trounced Wisconsin 34-10 on Saturday to give coach Bret Bielema a triumphant return to Camp Randall Stadium. Illinois (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) scored 17 points off Wisconsin turnovers and scored the game's final 27 points to win as a 6½-point underdog. The Illini sacked Graham Mertz six times and held the Badgers to 2 yards rushing on 24 carries. Bielema had gone 68-24 in seven years as Wisconsin's coach before leaving for Arkansas at the end of the 2012 regular season as the Badgers were preparing for a Rose Bowl appearance. Wisconsin won at least a share of the Big Ten title each of his last three seasons.

He was fired at Arkansas in 2017 after going 29-34 and took over Illinois' program in December 2020. The Badgers won 24-0 at Illinois last season, but this was the first time Bielema had faced Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. Bielema was the first coach to take an opposing Big Ten team to a school he coached to a Big Ten title since John Pont coached Northwestern in a 1973 game at Indiana. Pont had led Indiana to a share of the 1967 Big Ten crown. Bielema received a smattering of boos when his name was announced in the pregame introductions, though the stands were less than 20% full at that point about half an hour before the 11 a.m. local time kickoff. A much larger crowd showed significantly more displeasure as the Badgers got dismantled for a second straight week. Wisconsin (2-3, 0-2) was coming off a 52-21 loss at No. 3 Ohio State. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
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09/26/22 - John Paddock, rSr/2024, Illinois, 5-11, 193 (DS#58 QB) + More +

SEPT 26 MAC WEST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: John Paddock, Ball State, QB, R-Junior, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Bloomfield Hills),...Quarterback John Paddock had a career day under center with career highs of 338 passing yards and 33 completions in a shootout against Sun Belt contender Georgia Southern. He connected with seven different receivers en route to being the first player in four seasons to complete at least 30 passes in a game at Ball State (Drew Plitt at NC State, Sept. 21, 2019). Paddock is one of just two MAC quarterbacks (Ohio's Kurtis Rourke) to have multiple 300-yard passing games. In fact, Paddock has produced 29 percent of all the MAC's 300-yard performances this season, while leading one of the conference's most outstanding offenses at 441 total offensive yards per game. - MAC Football

(DS#58 QB) rSr/2024

QB John Paddock, Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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09/26/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Illinois' Chase Brown remains the national rushing leader at 151 yards per game after running for a season-low 108 against Chattanooga, and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. is first in passing yards at 347 per game, a half yard ahead of Mississippi State's Will Rogers. SMU's Rashee Rice tops the receiving chart at 141.3 yards per game. - AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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09/23/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Chase Brown became the first Illinois running back to rush for 100-plus yards in five straight games, Tommy DeVito passed for 329 yards and three touchdowns and the Fighting Illini blanked Chattanooga 31-0 on Thursday night. Illinois improved to 3-1 and is off to its best start since 2015. Brown capped a five-play, 64-yard scoring drive with a 9-yard touchdown run after the defense forced Chattanooga (3-1) into a three-and-out on its first drive. He finished with 108 rushing yards on 20 carries and currently leads all FBS rushers with 604 yards through four games. The closest the Mocs came to scoring came early in the second quarter when they drove to the Illinois 16-yard line. Jartavius Martin picked off a Preston Hutchinson pass in the end zone to end the Mocs' threat. The Illini recorded their first shutout since a 2015 win over Western Illinois.

Chattanooga went just 4 of 14 on third downs and gained 142 total yards. Illinois piled up 502 yards of offense. Hutchinson was sacked four times and completed just 6 of 18 passes for 49 yards with two interceptions. Illinois nearly quadrupled Chattanooga's total first-half yardage, 332 yards to 84 yards, and led 24-0 at intermission. Thursday night marked the first time in Illinois football history that two receivers tallied more than 100 receiving yards and a running back ran for more than 100 yards in the same game. Pat Bryant caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Isaiah Williams hauled in nine passes for 103 yards and a score. Williams' 63-yard touchdown off a screen pass made it 31-0 with 4:56 left in the third. DeVito became the first Illinois quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards in a game since Brandon Peters threw for 369 yards at Michigan State in 2019. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
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09/17/22 - John Paddock, rSr/2024, Illinois, 5-11, 193 (DS#58 QB) + More +

John Paddock threw for three touchdowns and Ball State beat Murray State 31-0 on Saturday for the Cardinals' first win of the season and their first shutout in 14 years. Carson Steele added 151 yards on 25 carries, including a 1-yard score that made it 31-0. Paddock was 27-of-44 passing for 217 yards with an interception. Ball State's first three scores came on Paddock passes to Brady Hunt, Tanner Koziol and Jayshon Jackson. The Cardinals (1-2) led 14-0 at halftime and 24-0 after three quarters. The Cardinals outgained the Racers 476-155. The Cardinals' last shutout came in 2008 against Toledo - also 31-0. In this one, Nic Jones had a pair of interceptions, the first Cardinal with two picks in a game since Amechi Uzodinma II had two versus Miami (Ohio) in 2019. Isaac McNamee was just 7-of-22 passing for 57 yards and two interceptions for the Racers (0-3). Jawaun Northington rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries. - Ball State/AP College Football

(DS#58 QB) rSr/2024

QB John Paddock, Illinois
News Source: Ball State/AP College Football
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09/13/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Illinois's Chase Brown is well on his way to a second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Brown has 504 yards through three games and leads the nation with 168 per game after going for 146 against Virginia on Saturday. It was his fourth straight 100-yard game since last season, when he averaged 100.5 over his 10 games. - AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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09/13/22 - Luke Altmyer, rSr/2026, Illinois, 6-2, 205 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Mississippi defeated the Bears 59-3 in a dominating performance from all three phases of the game. Quarterback Luke Altmyer got his first college start at quarterback and had a good outing, posting a three-touchdown evening, two through the air and one on the ground. During the second quarter, he was replaced by Jaxson Dart after he suffered an upper-body injury. Dart took over, and the Rebels didn't skip a beat. There's still no official word on who the starting quarterback will be for the season, as head coach Lane Kiffin hasn't given a definitive answer. "We'll go back and look at the film and see what we think," Kiffin said. - Daily Mississippi

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2026

QB Luke Altmyer, Illinois
News Source: Daily Mississippi
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09/10/22 - Luke Altmyer, rSr/2026, Illinois, 6-2, 205 (DS#5 QB) + More +

Luke Altmyer threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Michael Trigg had three touchdown catches and No. 22 Mississippi routed Central Arkansas 59-3 on Saturday night. Ole Miss (2-0) raced to a 28-0 first-quarter lead, highlighted by touchdown passes of 1 and 7 yards from Altmyer to Trigg before adding a 1-yard scoring run to cap the decisive surge. Altmyer was 6 of 13 for 90 yards before being lifted late in the second quarter with what a school spokesperson described as an upper-body injury, pending evaluation. The early outburst opened with a 6-yard touchdown run from Zach Evans.

Ole Miss got a 25-yard punt return for a touchdown from Ladarius Tennyson after a poor snap, and set up another score when Bobo Miller blocked a punt. Atlantic Sun Conference member Central Arkansas (0-2), trailed 31-0 at halftime. It had 182 yards of total offense. Hayden Ray made a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout. Jaxson Dart, a transer from Southern California, relieved Altmyer and finished 10 of 15 passing for 182 yards, highlighted by touchdown passes of 6 yards to Malik Heath and 2 yards to Trigg. Ole Miss finished with 487 yards of total offense. Quinshon Judkins rushed for 104 yards as the Rebels pulled away, leading 52-0 after three periods. - Mississippi/AP College Football

(DS#5 QB) rSr/2026

QB Luke Altmyer, Illinois
News Source: Mississippi/AP College Football
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09/10/22 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Chase Brown rushed for 146 yards on 20 carries, Tommy DeVito threw for 196 yards and two scores and the Illinois defense stifled Virginia's once-potent attack to lead the Fighting Illini to a 24-3 victory on Saturday. Things looked dicey for Illinois (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) after DeVito threw an interception on his first pass attempt of the day and when Brown fumbled after a first-down run. However, a dominant defense cleared the path to victory as the Illini held Virginia (1-1) to 1 of 16 on third-down conversions.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon shined with seven tackles and three pass breakups and defensive end Keith Randolph came up with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and seven tackles. DeVito bounced back to complete 17 of 25 passes, including 39-yard and 2-yard touchdown throws to tight ends Michael Marchese and Tip Reiman, respectively, to help the Illini take a 21-3 lead into the half. True freshman Matthew Bailey put Illinois ahead 7-3 by recovering a muffed punt that bounced into the end zone for a touchdown with 5:38 left in the opening quarter. Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong struggled to find his receivers, completing just 13 of 32 passes for 180 yards with two interceptions. He threw for 405 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-14 win against the Illini in 2021. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
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