Antario Brown is part of a long line of great NIU running backs — and he hopes to carry that tradition to the NFL

When Antario Brown signed with Northern Illinois in December 2020, he was joining a program with a proud tradition of great running backs. Garrett Wolfe, Michael Turner, LeShon Johnson and Brown’s head coach, Thomas Hammock, are among the players who helped the Huskies gain their reputation as a “Running Back U.”

Brown, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior from Savannah, Ga., is carving out his own place in NIU history, entering Saturday’s game at Ball State (2:30 p.m., ESPN+) with 2,977 career rushing yards — ninth in program history and four spots above Hammock (2,482).

“I know a lot of great running backs came through this school,” Brown told the Tribune earlier this season. “Two of the best on the rushing list (Turner, No. 2, and quarterback Jordan Lynch, No. 3) I see sometimes around at games and stuff like that. So just seeing that and knowing those guys pushes me and burns that hunger in my stomach to want to achieve what those guys achieved.

“Even Coach Hammock, with him playing here, he’s my coach and everything else, but he played in the same jersey that I have. It just drives me.”

A three-star recruit who initially committed to South Carolina, Brown spent his first two seasons in DeKalb backing up Jay Ducker and then Harrison Waylee. As a junior last fall, Brown rushed for 1,296 yards and scored 11 touchdowns to earn first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.

He exploded into the national consciousness this season in the Huskies’ Week 2 upset of Notre Dame. Brown rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries and had another 126 yards on two catches — including an 83-yard pass play for the lone NIU touchdown in the 16-14 stunner.

In the Huskies’ other game against a Power Four opponent, a 24-17 loss at N.C. State, Brown rushed for a season-high 114 yards on 28 carries. He suffered an injury the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/antario-brown-part-long-line-110000109.html

Author : Chicago Tribune

Publish date : 2024-10-25 11:00:00

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