Talk about a rush. In three months, Donald Brown has gone from No. 2 on Connecticut's tailback depth chart to No. 1 among major-college rushers.

The redshirt junior went from the bench to a human bench-press, lifting the Huskies to a 6-2 record and the BCS rankings while carrying an incredible load: 66.9 percent of his team's running plays, 44.7 percent of its offensive snaps.

In other words, forget about the New Jersey kid who ran for 129 yards against West Virginia in a lopsided loss last November. This Donald Eugene Brown II, whom the Mountaineers face Saturday in Rentschler Field at East Hartford, Conn., looks nothing like that old one.

"No, he's at another level right now," said Jeff Casteel, the defensive coordinator at Big East-leader West Virginia (5-2, 2-0 conference). "He's a stud. He's a tough guy to get a hold of. He does a great job reading the blocks. He can stop at the line of scrimmage, then he has the ability to get to full speed on his second step. Great feet. Great vision.

"He's the best back we've seen in a while."

The previous two seasons, and even in August, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Brown -- who looks bigger -- was second string behind 2006 and '07 team-leading rusher Andre Dixon. Since then, Dixon has had three carries for minus-1 yard.

"Some of the things he does out there, it blows my mind," quarterback Cody Endres, from Washington's Trinity High School, said of Brown. "It just amazes me how he can take control of a game and make guys miss. And he seems to do it every game. He leads the NCAA in yards per game [165.5]. It's just ridiculous."

At 1,324, Brown has rushed for more yards than West Virginia and Syracuse have passed, and only eight fewer than the Huskies (6-2, 2-1) have accumulated in the air. Brown has rushed for more yards than half the league: Pitt, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Rutgers. Brown has rushed for more yards than 77 of the 119 major-college teams.

He set the school record for rushing in a season ... after only eight games. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in nine consecutive regular-season games, dating to his performance in that 66-21 blowout at Mountaineer Field last year.

Maybe his swift rise shouldn't surprise.

After all, on his Pop Warner team as a youth in Atlantic Heights, N.J., coaches used to alternate him at tailback and wingback with Knowshon Moreno, now of Georgia.

After all, at a camp at Giants Stadium during his junior year at Red Bank Catholic High School, he was timed at a startling 4.29 seconds for the 40-yard dash and when asked to run it again did a 4.27.

In four games this season, Brown has carried the ball 30 times or more. Last week against Cincinnati, he carried 29 times for 150 yards. He added 58 yards on four catches.

"He's built to take that kind of work," said Endres, the starting quarterback last week and perhaps again Saturday.

What has helped to transform Brown into the leading rusher and, at 235 carries, by far the second-busiest back in college-football America behind only Michigan State's Javon Ringer (300 carries in nine games) are weight training and workouts. Brown is renown for it. In high school, his parents hired two trainers to handle him. Now this exercise science major wants to become a strength and conditioning coach some day.

"That's his passion," Endres said. "That's good for him, that's good for us."

"It's pretty much a way of life," Brown added. "It definitely has helped carry the load and take the rigors of the season."

After busy game days, "Sundays and Mondays are pretty much recovery days," he said. He plops down in a tub of 50-degree water for 15 minutes to speed his recuperation. "Yeah, it's pretty chilly. But it works wonders on the legs."

Brown is about to face the ninth-leading rusher nationally, Noel Devine (121.3 yards per game), and the 58th, Patrick White (72.7) -- neither of whom addressed the media this week. This Connecticut tailback didn't shy away from interviews, same as with would-be tacklers. But he maintained that Saturday isn't about head-to-head rushing matchups.

"It's just two great teams facing off," Brown said. "Just one step closer to each teams' goal of becoming the Big East champ."

The Huskies figure they have the big back to do it. So far, for them, Brown delivers.

NOTE -- Plum kicker-punter Pat McAfee has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award. Ten of McAfee's 29 punts have traveled 50 yards or more and 16 have dropped inside the 20. West Virginia ranks third nationally in net punting.