CHAMPAIGN — Chase Brown summed up the Big Ten’s will they or won’t they approach to the 2020 college football season rather succinctly.

It was exhausting.

First came the high of having a schedule announced on Aug. 5.

Then the season was postponed six days later in response to the uncertainties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. A month after that, the season was back on with a targeted Oct. 24 start — seven weeks after the Illini were supposed to play their first game.

Brown watched plenty of other college football teams play while existing in Big Ten limbo through the end of August and into September.

That games were actually happening gave him hope the Big Ten might reverse course even after commissioner Kevin Warren initially said the conference wouldn’t.

“When they came out with the schedule it was like a light at the end of the tunnel,” Brown said. “It kind of gave me a goal to set my eyes on and prepare for. I’m just excited that we’re going to be playing in a month.”

That Oct. 24 game at Wisconsin won’t be Brown’s Illinois debut. Not technically, at least. That came last October when the Western Michigan transfer gained immediate eligibility midway through the season after his transfer waiver was initially denied.

Brown was immediately on the field, waiver in hand, last Oct. 12 when the Illini played Michigan and returned his only kick of the year against the Wolverines. All three of his carries and 18 of his rushing yards last season came three weeks later in Illinois’ win against Rutgers.

That was it for Brown in 2019. The Rutgers game was his fourth, and he sat out the final four games of the year to preserve his redshirt.

Illinois’ season opener against Wisconsin in a little less than a month, however, will mark Brown’s “debut” as a likely key contributor in the Illinois backfield. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound redshirt sophomore trails only Mike Epstein when it comes to game experience after rushing for 352 yards in 13 games in 2018 at Western Michigan.

The loss of both Reggie Corbin and Dre Brown opens the door for Chase Brown to make his mark with the Illini this fall.

“I want to prove to people I can perform at this level,” said Brown, who transferred to Illinois to play with his twin brother, Sydney, an Illini safety. “That the work I put in every single day during the COVID break and the weight room is going to be worth it. I’m just excited to show my talents. … I feel like I bring speed, power and elusiveness. I can’t wait to show that on Oct. 24.”

The Brown twins spent a little money this offseason and put together a home gym in their grandma’s garage when they returned to London, Ontario, this spring after spring practices were canceled and the Illinois campus closed because of the pandemic.

“Having somebody to work with every single day who wants to improve just as badly as you do was the part I was most grateful for,” Chase Brown said. “We went to work in there and got stronger and saw gains on a day-to-day basis. Having him around really has helped me improve this offseason.”

Brown’s other improvements have come in his growing comfort level with Illinois offensive coordinator Rod Smith’s scheme. The extended preseason because of the Big Ten’s flip flop gave him a little more time to go through the plays.

“The most exciting part of it is kind of how he has an answer for every single defense,” Brown said of Smith. “I haven’t really been a part of an offense where there’s a scheme for everything.”

Brown is studying his pass-protection duties perhaps the most. Getting quarterback Brandon Peters hit? That’s a no-no. Brown has also made sure to glean as much as possible from Epstein. The redshirt junior out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is Illinois’ most experienced running back, although he’s only played in 13 games in three seasons because of a series of injuries.

Healthy now, Epstein serves as a model for Brown.

“He knows what he’s doing and knows the offense well,” Brown said. “I learn from him and try to pick his brain every single day. It’s only helping me get better. When we’re doing drills, I really pay attention to the way he moves and his footwork on certain things because that can only make me better learning from that.”

The work Brown has put in this offseason is just a continuation of the progress he said he feels like he’s made since that inaugural season at Western Michigan. He had success as a true freshman for the Broncos, but his approach to the game has changed.

“My spring ball period at my previous school I learned a lot as far as slowing down and letting the game come to me instead of trying to rush everything,” Brown said. “I took that from there. From this past spring, you’ve got to be hungry to improve every single day, whether you’re on scout team or working with the first team or second team. I’m always looking for ways to improve now, where I might not have been always doing that my first year of college.”

Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).