For a year, college football has been waiting on Savion Hiter to show exactly what all the noise was about. The reputation was already there: big-time high school production, a five-star pedigree, and a run style built on speed, power and vision.
Michigan fans had heard plenty about the package. On Saturday against UTEP, they finally got a real look.
Hiter delivered his best showing yet in Michigan’s 52-17 win over the Miners, finishing with 11 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn’t a runaway highlight reel performance, but it was the kind that tells you a back is starting to settle in.
“The ceiling is very high, and you saw flashes of what his capabilities are,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He’s a very violent runner, powerful runner.”
That’s the part that stood out most: not one giant breakaway run, but a steady, controlled rhythm. Hiter did much of his damage in short-yardage situations, and aside from a first-half fumble, he looked composed carrying the ball. He kept pressing the middle of the line instead of drifting away from contact, and both of his scoring runs came straight up the gut.
“He needs to get padded up a little bit,” Whittingham said. “And my guess is when he starts to become a 20-carry-a-game back, whenever that might happen, he’s going to be very effective.”
For now, Hiter isn’t likely to jump into the RB1 role right away. That still belongs to junior Jordan Marshall, though Marshall left the game with an injury and did not return.
The two backs actually fit together well. Marshall runs with the same kind of contact balance and power, but at eight pounds heavier, he can handle a bigger workload right now. Together, they produced 121 yards and three touchdowns, giving Michigan a two-man punch that kept rolling through UTEP.
Hiter didn’t need to be the star on Saturday. He just needed to be efficient, physical and steady. He checked those boxes, and in the process gave Michigan a glimpse of what could be coming next.
In Other News...
Michigans Next Road Test Just Got More Serious For Wolverines Fans
Michigans trip to Minnesota on Oct. 3 now has a clearer stage, with the Big Ten matchup set for noon ET on FOX. It will be the Wolverines second game this season in the Big Noon Kickoff window, giving fans another early start to a road test that should draw plenty of national attention.
The timing adds another layer to a series that has long carried its own weight, especially with Michigan heading into a conference road environment that has not always been easy. With both programs bringing recent results and history into the conversation, this one already feels like more than a routine October date on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Defense Showed Something Fans Will Care About In Big Ten Play
Michigans defense gave fans a reason to pay attention beyond the final score against UTEP, holding the Miners to 17 points while showing it could handle both sides of the game plan. The front was active, the coverage held up, and the unit looked like one that can carry real weight once Big Ten play starts to tighten the margins.
Jonah Lea'ea provided the headline play with a pick-six, while Tariq Boney added disruption off the edge with tackles for loss and a sack. The rotation also mattered, with players such as Shamari Earls and Jordan Young seeing meaningful snaps, a reminder that the Wolverines are building depth as well as production on a defense that will be asked to do more when the competition steps up. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans UTEP Win Exposed One Concern And One Rising Battle
Michigans win over UTEP offered the kind of second-half finish the Wolverines wanted, with the offense and defense tightening up after a sluggish stretch early on. The 35-3 edge after halftime also gave a clearer look at some of the younger players the staff has been eager to develop, with Tariq Boney and Savion Hiter among the underclassmen who flashed enough to stand out.
The more immediate takeaway, though, was less comfortable. Turnovers and penalties helped keep UTEP in the game longer than Michigan would have preferred, a reminder that the margin for error gets much thinner once conference play arrives. For a staff that has leaned on developmental growth from its younger talent, the challenge now is balancing that progress with cleaner football when the Wolverines start facing opponents that will punish those mistakes. [Read more 🡒]