Rick Scibelli Jr./Special to the Tribune

University of New Mexico junior running back Rodney Ferguson scores during the second half against Brigham Young. The former Manzano Monarch has emerged as one of the top running backs in the Mountain West Conference after learning some hard lessons early in his career.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Rodney Ferguson avoids a San Diego State defender during a win over the Aztecs. Said Ferguson: "I know I have to keep pushing myself to get better."

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Rodney Ferguson racks up yards like Homer Simpson devours doughnuts.

Methodically, effortlessly and quicker than you might think possible.

And those who got between him and the end zone? Foolish.

"People should have learned a long time ago that you shouldn't underestimate Rodney," said University of New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie, who counts Ferguson as one of his most valuable teammates.

Ferguson, a junior tailback at UNM, seemed primed for greatness in 2003, his senior year at Manzano. He led Class 5A with 1,543 yards and earned seemingly endless comparisons to DonTrell Moore, one of the greatest running backs in UNM history.

It's safe to say Ferguson joined the Lobos four years ago with great expectations.

The problem early in his UNM career was Ferguson expected great things to simply come to him.

He seemed a little too soft to live up to his role as a bruising back, a little too coddled to be the centerpiece of the Lobos' offense.

"They took care of that pretty quickly," said Ferguson, a junior who has become the cornerstone of UNM's offense. "The coaches, my teammates and the opponents showed me right away exactly how much more work I needed to do. I found out real fast it wasn't going to be easy."

After he was knocked down a few pegs, Ferguson found his fire and flourished.

He figured out how to use his 6-foot, 229-pound frame to his advantage.

He stopped dancing in the backfield, learned to stay on his feet when much bigger players took shots at him and held on to the ball with hands flying from all directions to poke it lose.

And Ferguson began living up to all those lofty expectations.

He led the Mountain West Conference in rushing last year with 1,234 yards.

It wasn't a great year for conference running backs, so the mark was nice but not riveting.

Could Ferguson turn in a repeat performance with a big target on his back?

He has gamely stepped up to the challenge, leading the conference in rushing most of the season. A tough outing against San Diego State dropped his average to 103.9 yards per game and second place in the rushing rankings.

This year, Ferguson is proving he is no fluke, with opposing defenses pounding him and a bevy of conference running backs eager to steal the limelight.

"I know I have to keep pushing myself to get better," Ferguson said. "I need to keep getting stronger and faster. I have to keep working on my speed all the time. The coaches have given me the chance to be a big part of our offense, and I need to prove to my team that I can handle that responsibility."

Ferguson has shined when the Lobos need him the most.

UNM had its hands full when BYU visited University Stadium Sept. 29 and ultimately lost 29-27. The Lobos view it as the game that got away, but it wouldn't have been nearly as close if it weren't for Ferguson.

He rushed for two touchdowns and 87 yards on 22 carries and caught four passes for 105 yards and another touchdown.

More important, he was steady when the Lobos were stumbling.

He has carried the offense when others couldn't or wouldn't step up.

"We trust Rodney completely," said Travis Brown, a senior wide receiver and team captain. "We want the ball in his hands. He makes great things happen for us. He has worked really hard to get to the point where he can run against anyone."

He came up big again when the Lobos faced SDSU.

Ferguson and the rest of the UNM offense had an abysmal showing against Aztecs.

He usually dishes out pain, but a wall of fiery Aztecs hammered Ferguson every time he touched the ball.

Ferguson didn't give up.

He helped the Lobos overcome their woes, bounding forward for a 6-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game that gave UNM a 20-17 win over the Aztecs.

"I think a lot of people underestimate him, but that's good because he's always ready to surprise people," Porterie said. "I know that if I'm not off to a good start, he's always back there ready to pick it up for us. He's ready to do whatever it takes to help us win games."

While opposing coaches talk about trying to contain Ferguson every week, UNM coach Rocky Long isn't sure he gets as much respect as he deserves.

Ferguson doesn't look nearly as pretty as speedy, shifty runners like Moore.

He is a bruising back clearly capable of making big plays, but he doesn't necessarily look the part of a playmaker.

"You look at him and you can't really tell, but I bet he runs just as fast in the open field as DonTrell," Long said. "I was like everyone else and really didn't realize how fast he was out there. I saw him on tape, and I couldn't understand why (the defense) wasn't catching up with him. He doesn't look fast because he's a bigger body, but he's pretty fast."

Long has long since been sold on Ferguson.

"He's good and getting better every day," Long said. "We have some very talented receivers, but we are at our best when Rodney gets the ball first and he opens up the field for everyone else. He sets the tone for our offense."