CHAMPAIGN — Before they stepped on the Memorial Stadium field last season, Illinois freshman running backs Donovonn Young and Josh Ferguson created a slogan.
“Five and six in the mix” refers to Young’s jersey No. 5 and Ferguson’s No. 6 and the explosive combination they hope to create on the field.
“That’s our motto,” Ferguson said. “We figured that out before we started.”
The Illini running game could use them in the mix for a potential fix. They failed to find the same rusher in Jason Ford last season that they had in Mikel Leshoure in 2010, and they often relied on quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase as their primary ground gainer.
The Orange and Blue spring game last weekend was nearly a debut for Ferguson, a Naperville native and Joliet Catholic graduate who missed all but three games last season.
With Young working his way back from a foot injury this spring, Ferguson showed what might have been missing last fall when he sat out with a hamstring injury — and what might be to come in 2012 under new coach Tim Beckman.
“He really stepped up, didn’t he?” Beckman said. “In spring ball he made some great plays. He has great speed, a great burst. Hopefully a guy that’s learning as it goes on.”
Ferguson displayed his advertised speed Saturday with 150 yards on 20 carries. He nearly dashed for a touchdown before Justin Green barely caught up with him on a 68-yard run.
In a practice before Illinois played Western Michigan last season, Ferguson slipped on wet turf and tore his left hamstring. Former coach Ron Zook said frequently throughout the season that Ferguson would be back, but the injury was worse than initially expected as two hamstring muscles tore completely, and he eventually took a medical redshirt.
“It’s really relieving to me to just play football again and be a regular athlete again and not be in rehab every day all day,” Ferguson said. “It’s been a long offseason, and I’m happy to be back.”
Young, who rushed for 451 yards and six touchdowns on 87 carries last season, is a power back. Ferguson is the finesse runner who hopes to find the edge in Beckman’s spread offense.
Being only 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds isn’t a concern to Ferguson or Beckman. The coach pointed out his top running back at Toledo last season, Adonis Thomas, weighed only 185 and helped the Rockets to a top-five national ranking in offense.
Ferguson said doubters who judge him on his stature only add fuel.
“It’s definitely a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I’ve been hearing that since I’ve been playing football (starting at) 8 years old. There are not a lot of backs like this in the Big Ten, but there’s plenty around the country. I look for that as motivation.”
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