He will do so as the leading rusher in Division 3, an achievement that is a source of pride for the 5-foot-8 inch, 185-pound senior from Galax, Va., but it will carry far less weight if he walks off with a loss in what has been a season of struggles for the 1-7 Engineers.

“I am just concerned about trying to get this win, we’ve had a pretty rough season, we want to get this last win for all the seniors,’’ said Brown, a computer science and engineering major who owns nearly every rushing mark at MIT, including career yards (4,138) and touchdowns (38).

Operating behind a battered and bruised offensive line that “has not started the same five kids two weeks in a row,’’ according to first-year coach Chad Martinovich, Brown has run through the cracks of daylight, producing 170 yards per game and 10 touchdowns, including a season-best 31-carry, 267-yard, three-touchdown performance against UMass-Dartmouth Oct. 3.

“He is as talented in the open field and the perimeter as he is between the tackles, and he has a fifth gear,’’ said Martinovich, noting that Brown’s speed often allows him to pull away from defenders in pursuit.

Brown stands atop Division 3 in rushing yards per game, but he has plenty of company from the region as well. Five of the top eight suit up for New England programs: Brown, Maine Maritime senior Jim Bower (162.6), and Mount Ida sophomore Johrone Bunch (156.1) rank 1-2-3, while Framingham State senior David Leach (136.2) and Bridgewater State junior Justin Fuller (135.6) are seventh and eighth. Through the first three weeks of the season, Mass. Maritime sophomore Nathan Sherr (174.0) was the pace-setter before sustaining a season-ending injury.

“That’s Northeast football, a lot of [bad-weather] games, and you need to be able to pound the rock,’’ said Mount Ida second-year coach Mike Landers. In his previous job as defensive coordinator at Nichols, Landers tried to corral the elusive Brown as a sophomore. “He was special,’’ Landers said.

Now Landers coaches a special talent in the 6-2, 195-pound Bunch, who crushed Castleton with a 37-carry, 351-yard, five-TD performance in the fifth week and whose 1,405 rushing yards rank first in the country. In the offseason, Landers and Bunch viewed game film of former great Jim Brown. Now, Bunch runs like Brown, punishing foes and turning on his 4.3 speed.

“He comes to work every day and tries to get better and better,’’ said Landers. “We have three freshmen on the offensive line, and he has to carry a lot of the load.’’

The hard-charging Bower (5-9, 225 pounds) is the lead dog for Maine Maritime’s explosive triple-option attack, which leads the nation in rushing (443 yards per game) after piling up a Division 2-3 record 730 in last week’s 76-49 win over Coast Guard.

“Jim has got a little bit of everything - power, speed, and vision, he has all three,’’ said Maine Maritime coach Chris McKenney, whose 7-1 squad can clinch a berth in the New England Football Conference championship game against Curry by beating Fitchburg State this afternoon.

And Bower is not alone. Four-year quarterback Tyler Angell is a master at reading defenses. On the perimeter, sophomore Nick Bourassa (12.5 yards per carry) is a jet, making any matchup against Maine Maritime a massive challenge. Pick your poison.

MIT’s Brown has largely piled his impressive numbers on his own, prompting McKenney to call him “one heck of a back. He has got it all, and he’s tough to bring down.’’

With his parents, Chris and Kim, making the trip from Virginia for his finale, the Engineers’ All-American is determined to go out in style.

“I just want to play my best,’’ said Brown, who has aspirations of playing at the next level, hoping to receive an invitation to a pro day at Boston College or Harvard. “I have had an opportunity to play at the collegiate level, at the best engineering school in the world. I’ve had an amazing time, with amazing guys. Everyone is highly intelligent, and you are challenged all the time.’’

Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com.