CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — Kaden Feagin is making the most out of his early opportunity to see the field as a true freshman at Illinois. The Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond native ran for a career high 28 yards in the Illini’s win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound tailback had his first collegiate touchdown in sight with time ticking down in the game against the Owls, but instead of scoring, Feagin slid to a stop at the seven-yard line, allowing the Illini to kneel down and run out the clock.

“Right when I got the ball, I was like, ‘Yeah I just got to get down,'” Feagin said on Tuesday. “It’s what my coaches were telling me and I just listened to them.”

Feagin has played in three out of the team’s four games so far this season, the first running back off the bench against the Owls. The highly touted four-star prospect has been a bigger part of the offense each week, seeing more and more snaps.

“It feels good, it’s all my teammates man,” Feagin said. “Them helping me get through it, even when I miss up them telling me what to improve on.”

Feagin was one of two WCIA 3 viewing area products who made an impact against FAU, with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley native Aidan Laughery scoring his first career touchdown in the win. Laughery rushed three times for 23 yards and that score, something he’s been waiting a long time for.

“The feeling is awesome,” Laughery said after the game on Saturday. “It’s been a long road with injuries and stuff and to finally get into the end zone it’s just awesome.”

Illinois returns to the field Saturday visiting Purdue at 2:30 p.m. in a game on Peacock. A subscription to the streaming service is required to watch the game.