The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THIS season was an historic series of milestones for both Chris Ferguson and his University of Cincinnati Bearcats football programme.

Ferguson became a starter for the first time in his collegiate career while the Bearcats surpassed their win total from the last two years combined with a final 56-6 win over the East Carolina Pirates in the regular season finale.

Cincinnati finished the season 10-2, 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference after winning a combined eight games the last two seasons. The Bearcats opened the season 6-0 and made it back into the Top 25.

It was their first 10-win season since 2012.

“The thing that’s so gratifying is just to see the growth,” second year Bearcats Luke Fickell said.

The Bearcats honoured 14 seniors pregame. They have one of the nation’s youngest teams, with 72 per cent of the roster consisting of underclassmen.

Ferguson missed the game because of an illness but Fickell credited his senior class to the programme’s turnaround.

“I owe everything to them. We wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are without those guys,” Fickell said. “There’s no way that we would be able to bring along the young kids without those guys. If there was any bitterness about what our objectives were as a coaching staff, it wouldn’t have looked like this.”

Ferguson, a 6’5” 303-pound senior offensive lineman, won the starting job at right tackle in the offseason.

He was one of 10 members of the Bearcats football team to earn his degree (in criminal justice) last April.

As a freshman, he was initially recruited as three-star recruit on the defensive line, following his senior season at Lake Nona High School in Orlando, Florida when he recorded 17 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

After a redshirt true freshman season, he shifted to the offensive line but did not see playing time in the 2015-17 seasons.