Illinois running back Mike Epstein will miss the remainder of the 2019 season with a knee injury suffered Saturday in the Fighting Illini’s opener against Akron.
“Mike has been through so much, such a good football player,” Illinois coach Lovie Smith said Monday. “He’ll come back as strong as ever. That’s what we’ve seen. Sometimes there are blessings in disguise that we really don’t realize.”
This is the third straight season Epstein will not finish due to an injury. He suffered foot fractures during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, in which he combined for only 12 games.
In Saturday’s 42-3 win over the Zips, Epstein had eight carriers for 45 yards.
