Aggie
Football
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Ferguson File: Two-thousand eight could be a historic year for
Ferguson…He was named to the 2008 MEAC preseason all-conference team...He is
906 yards shy of tying the Aggies all-time rushing record which is currently
held by Minnesota Vikings running back Maurice Hicks…He is 219 carries short
of breaking Stoney Polite’s career record for rushing attempts…He has rushed
for 1,906 career yards which puts him 94 yards shy of becoming just the
eighth back in school history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a career
Ferguson has nine career rushing touchdowns and he has made 19 career
receptions for 173 yards…He comes into the season ranked 10th on the Aggies
all-time rushing list… He is 61 yards shy of passing Reggie Shuford and 84
yards shy of passing his position coach George Ragsdale on the all-time list
Established himself last season as one of the best running backs in the
conference…He will likely come into the season on the MEAC’s preseason
all-conference list…Has a reputation for being a tough back who is able to
play through injuries…He is not known for his speed but his vision as a
running back is spectacular and he has a knack for hitting the hole and
exploding through for long runs…Has worked on his speed during the
off-season which should help him finish off his long runs with
touchdowns…Has played with numerous injuries over the last two seasons,
including injuries to his hands and shoulders…Did not play in the Spring
Game as a precautionary matter…Goes into August camp as the No. 1 back...Has
played in 27 games for the Aggies with 16 starts… Started his career on the
Aggies practice squad, but was pressed into duty when starting running back
Brandon Sweeney went down with an ankle injury…Was largely a practice player
until Week 5 when he played a backup role in Indianapolis at the Circle City
Classic on Oct. 1…JUNIOR (2007): Played in 11 games with 11 starts…He
rushed for 1,169 yards and four touchdowns on 182 carries…He averaged 6.4
yards per carry, becoming the 11th back in school history to average more
than six yards per carry for a season…He had six 100-yard games, leaving one
100-yard game shy of tying the school record for 100-yard games in a
season…He finished third in the MEAC in rushing after averaging 106.3 yards
per game…At season’s end he was named second-team all-conference…He became
the first Aggie back to earn all-conference honors since 2001…He had the
fourth best rushing season in Aggies history…With a 16-yard run against
Florida A&M on Nov.4 he became the sixth back in Aggie history to rush for
more than 1,000 yards in a season…He also caught six balls on the season for
30 yards…He rushed for a career-high 181 yards on 22 carries against Prairie
View A&M in the Angel City Classic played at the L.A. Coliseum on Sept. 8…He
had 113 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown against N.C. Central, including
a run of 74 yards that eventually set up his 1-yard touchdown…He rushed for
160 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries…He had runs of 36, 17 and 66…His
66-yard run led to his 2-yard touchdown run…He finished with 170 yards and a
touchdown on 22 carries against Florida A&M on Nov. 4…He came into the game
needing just 71 yards to earn 1,000 yards for the season…Earned the honor on
a 16-yard run in the third quarter that moved the ball down to the Rattler
2-yard line that eventually set up 2-yard Herb Miller rushing
touchdown…Ferguson also had a 51-yard run in the game to put the Aggies in
position to win, but a missed field goal hurt their chances… SOPHOMORE
(2006): Played in nine games last season with four starts…Missed two
games on the season because of a bruised knee injury sustained early in the
game against Winston-Salem State on Sept. 1…Averaged 70.1 yards per game,
which ranked him fifth in rushing in the MEAC…Led the Aggies in rushing for
the first time in his career by rushing for 631 yards, four touchdowns on
141 carries…Averaged 4.5 yards per carry…Had 13 carries of 10 yards or more
and four carries of 20 yards or more…Ended the season on a positive note
with an outstanding game against S.C. State on Nov. 18…He rushed for a
career-best 175 yards on 22 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run and a
12-yard touchdown run…It was the best 16th best rushing performance in
Aggies history…Had three 100-yard games for the season…Had his first career
100-yard game on Oct. 14 when he rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 31
carries against Delaware State…Two weeks later, he rushed for 108 yards on
23 carries against Bethune-Cookman on ESPNU and ESPN2...Over the last four
games of the season, rushed for 413 yards on 81 carries, scored twice and
averaged 5.3 yards per carry. FRESHMAN (2005): Rushed for 106 yards
on 30 careers and a touchdown…Also caught seven passes for 101 yards…Ranked
fourth on the team in rushing and fifth on the team in receiving…Caught more
passes out of the backfield than any other Aggie running back…Made his debut
in an Aggies uniform on Oct. 1 at the Circle City Classic versus Tennessee
State…Rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries…Rushed for 58 yards on seven carries
and
scored the first touchdown of his career on a 28-yard run against Bethune-Cookman
on Oct. 29…Had seven catches for 106 yards against Florida A&M…Caught passes
of 23, 21 and 16 yards…His 23-yard reception led to an Aggies touchdown...NORTHERN
DURHAM HIGH: Played three varsity seasons under Gary Merrill...Earned
all-conference honors twice...Also earned all-area as a junior and
senior...Was named the conference Player of the Year as a senior...Was also
named team MVP...During his career, he was named state Player of the Week...PERSONAL:
Full name is Michael Ferguson, Jr...He is the son of Lillie Marie and
Michael Ferguson, Sr...Has one sibling, Jessica...He was born on Jan. 22,
1986...He is a sports science and fitness management major...Plans to play
professional football after leaving N.C. A&T...Said he chose N.C. A&T
because he wanted to be Aggie born and Aggie bred.