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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The nation's leading rusher now has the nation's largest jersey. The University of Illinois has dressed its iconic Alma Mater statue in Chase Brown's No. 2 jersey in the midst of his historic season.

Crafted by the renowned sculptor and alumnus Lorado Taft '1879 and unveiled on Alumni Day, June 11, 1929, Alma Mater stands 13-feet tall and is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the Urbana-Champaign campus. Alma Mater will be dressed in Brown's jersey during the day from Thursday-Saturday ahead of Illinois' Big Ten West matchup against Purdue, the Illini's final home game at Memorial Stadium.

Brown is in the Heisman Trophy conversation and a frontrunner for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back. He is one of 20 semifinalists in the nation for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top offensive player, and he was featured on four midseason All-American lists.

Brown leads the nation in rushing yards (1,344), all-purpose yards (1,485), rushes of 10+ yards (41), 100-yard games (9), and rushing attempts (28.6 per game). He is just the fifth player since 2000 to rush for 100+ yards in his first nine games while leading his team to a 7-2 record or better, joining Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio State, 2015), Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma, 2004), JJ Arrington (Cal, 2004), and LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU, 2000).

Illinois has reached new heights this season under second-year head coach Bret Bielema and behind the effort of Brown and his teammates. Alongside the nation's leading rusher, the Illini feature the nation's No. 1 scoring defense and No. 1 total defense, which is led by Bednarik Award candidates CB Devon Witherspoon and DL Jer'Zhan Newton. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Poll for five straight weeks for the first time since 2011, and the Illini are in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in program history. The team is off to a 7-2 start through nine games, its best start since staring 8-1 in 2001, and a 4-2 record in the Big Ten.