Illinois RB ‘doubtful’ for Iowa game

IOWA CITY - Illinois senior running back Josh Ferguson is unlikely to play Saturday at Iowa after suffering a shoulder injury last week against Nebraska.

'I doubt very much that he'll play,” Illinois interim head coach Bill Cubit said. 'He's very, very doubtful.”

Ferguson ranks 11th in Illinois history with 2,259 career rushing yards. Ferguson is one of three FBS players with more than 2,000 career rushing yards (2,259) and 1,000 receiving yards (1,305), along with Arizona State's D.J. Foster and Oregon State's Storm Woods.

Against Nebraska, Ferguson broke loose on a 48-yard run before he was tracked down and tackled on his right shoulder. He did not return to the game.

In the summer, Illinois guard Ted Karras called Ferguson 'the most underrated player in the Big Ten.”

'Ferg is about as dynamic of a guy that you'll get in this league,” Karras said. 'He can go out in the slot, he can run between the tackles. He's a 200-pound back, but he runs like a slot receiver. So it's nice. We can run a little zone concept and he can cut back at any moment and you might not have your guy all the way, but he's already passed you. He's a one-cut-and-go kind of guy.”

Ferguson ranks fourth in all-purpose yards at Illinois with 3,945. He has scored 25 career touchdowns to rank eighth in school history. He also has 143 career receptions.

True freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn expects to get the start in Ferguson's place. Vaughn (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) has rushed for 325 yards, including 98 last week against Nebraska.

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