Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
6/16Inside-5 share
6 of the team's 16 inside-the-5 carries (37.5%).
Josh Ferguson
Last confirmed: Illinois, 2015. No 2026 box-score games on record.
5′10″ · Naperville, IL · Joliet Catholic Academy
Josh Ferguson: RB · Illinois · #6.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Josh Ferguson
Wins in space out of the backfield. Josh Ferguson has played for two head coaches in two seasons at Illinois. One game to point at: 133 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards against Purdue — Week 10, 2015.
How he plays
How he plays
Play style
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
News and fans
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Illinois in the news
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2015 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 52-3vs Kent State | 12 | 76 | 6.3 | 1 | 17 | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-0vs Western Illinois | 13 | 39 | 3.0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Wk 3 | L 14-48@ North Carolina | 22 | 133 | 6.0 | 1 | 52 | Season-high 133 yds |
| Wk 4 | W 27-25vs Middle Tennessee | 20 | 83 | 4.2 | 0 | 18 | |
| Wk 5 | W 14-13vs Nebraska | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 0 | 48 | |
| Wk 10 | W 48-14@ Purdue | 12 | 133 | 11.1 | 0 | 33 | |
| Wk 11 | L 3-28vs No. 2 Ohio State | 12 | 49 | 4.1 | 0 | 27 | |
| Wk 12 | L 23-32@ Minnesota | 20 | 105 | 5.3 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 13 | L 14-24vs No. 17 Northwestern | 14 | 40 | 2.9 | 0 | 13 | |
| Total | 129 | 708 | 5.5 | 3 | 52 |
Signature game
Week 3 · 2015
L 14-48
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 12 · Minnesota · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA −4.24Josh Ferguson run for a loss of 1 yard to the Minn 29 Josh Ferguson fumbled, recovered by Minn Julian Huff
- Week 5 · Nebraska · 3rd and 3 · Q1 · EPA +3.96Josh Ferguson run for 48 yds to the Neb 37 for a
- Week 1 · Kent State · 4th and 3 · Q1 · EPA +3.60Wes Lunt pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 21 yds for a TD, (Taylor Zalewski KICK)
- Week 13 · Northwestern · 3rd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +3.59Wes Lunt pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 23 yds to the Nwest 37 for a
- Week 10 · Purdue · 3rd and 8 · Q3 · EPA +3.18Chayce Crouch pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 19 yds to the Prdue 37 for a
- Week 2 · Western Illinois · 3rd and 5 · Q2 · EPA +2.98Wes Lunt pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 19 yds to the WIll 43 for a
4 more plays
- Week 3 · North Carolina · 2nd and 8 · Q1 · EPA +2.84Josh Ferguson run for 25 yds to the NCaro 48 for a
- Week 13 · Northwestern · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +2.84Wes Lunt pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 34 yds to the Nwest 41 for a
- Week 10 · Purdue · 2nd and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.83Wes Lunt pass complete to Josh Ferguson for 12 yds for a TD, (Taylor Zalewski KICK)
- Week 10 · Purdue · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.75Josh Ferguson run for 33 yds to the Prdue 48 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
129 of 129 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
46%129 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds19%of carries
25 carries
Grind
1–3 yds35%of carries
45 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds27%of carries
35 carries
Explosive
10+ yds19%of carries
24 carries
8 of 9 (89%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 2 of 6 (33%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
5.5 yds/carry on 129 carries · 19% explosive (10+ yds) · 46% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
19%
Stuffed (≤0)
35%
Grind (1–3)
27%
Chunk (4–9)
19%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2014Illinois6-7HC: Tim Beckman · Balanced
2015Illinois5-7HC: Bill Cubit · Pass-leaning, fast tempo
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2015 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 59.4 | 6.0 | 0.4 |
| Road3g | 124 | 7.5 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 76.2 | 6.4 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 81.8 | 5.8 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill Cubit
Pass share
57.6%
518 pass / 382 run
Plays / game
75.0
12 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
551 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning, fast tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2015
129 carries and 37 catches in 9 games
More touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Five seasons at Illinois
- 2015 Illinois CubitYear 5 · 9 games
- 2014 Illinois BeckmanYear 4 · 13 games
- 2013 Illinois BeckmanYear 3 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2012 Illinois BeckmanYear 2 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2011 Illinois ZookYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- Before collegeSigned with Illinois in 2011 as a 3-star recruit, No. 1,165 in the country.
His moves
- Signed with Illinois in the 2011 class, a 3-star recruit.
How it ended
Two seasons at Illinois, 1,443 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
His career
2011
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Joliet Catholic Academy
Coaching lineage · 2011–2015
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Ron Zook, Tim Beckman, and Bill Cubit. Multi-era developmental context.