In the Trenches 614 - Savion Hiter Transcript
10/14/2026 4:00:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
Jon Jansen • 00:00
There was certainly a lot of excitement coming into this season upon one specific freshman, that is running back Savion Hiter. We're really excited to have him today on In the Trenches.
[music builds]
Jeff Laurence • 00:12
Welcome to the official podcast of Michigan Football in the Trenches with Jon Jansen, presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Nobody covers Michigan football better than the two time captain, champion and Michigan athletics Hall of Honor inductee.
Savion Hiter • 00:35
Really just taking it all in and honing in on the details and at least getting it right my freshman year. And then when I, when I graduate from here, I would have all those details combined and I don't know where I would be from there.
Jeff Laurence • 00:51
This is In the Trenches presented by Meijer. Once again, here's Jon Jansen.
Jon Jansen • 00:57
Welcome back, friends, to another edition of in the Trenches. And we want to let you know what's going on at M GO Blue Podcast and take some notes because there's a lot going on already out. We've got the radio replay of Inside Michigan Football. My guest this week as it is every week, head coach Kyle Whittingham, defensive tackles coach Larry Black and one of his pupils, Jonah Lea'ea, senior defensive tackle, defend the block. Two episodes are already out as well. Post game episodes from the Eastern Michigan exhibition game that was on Sunday and two interviews on Tuesday. Both of those interviews, Te'Yala Delfosse, a women's basketball junior, and KT Harrell, new men's basketball assistant coach. Still to come, here's where you got to get your pencils ready. Thursday morning, Conqu'ring Heroes. That's an interview with a preview of the wrestling program with head coach Sean Bormet.
Jon Jansen • 01:50
Thursday afternoon, we'll be in the trenches. That's the Penn State preview. Keys to the game. Friday night, Defend the Block. It's going to be an Oregon State recap. And then Saturday after the game, the game will probably end. Let's see, about seven, seven thirty. Shortly after that, Brian will have the in the Trenches of the Penn State recap. So there's a lot going on. Make sure you like subscribe download so you always get the latest edition of anything that's going on on M GO Blue podcasts. And certainly you want everything that's going on on in the trenches here as we cover Michigan football. Now I want to bring in the voice of Michigan basketball, mister Brian Boesch. Brian, how you doing? How's it feel to have the basketball season up and running?
Brian Boesch • 02:32
It was great. I love the new decorations inside Crisler Center. A few New banners. They had to squish all the Big Ten championship banners a little bit closer together. It's a good problem to have, right?
Jon Jansen • 02:44
It certainly is. Certainly is. And it looks good up in the rafters.
Brian Boesch • 02:47
It does. How was your bye weekend? Do anything fun?
Jon Jansen • 02:50
Well, I mean, I watch more college football than I ever have in a weekend, as well as NFL football. So, yeah, I had lots of fun.
Brian Boesch • 02:57
There you go. See, that's the joy of the noon game too, is that you have more of an ability to see everything else. We don't have that this weekend, but we do have it next weekend. Indiana noon. Love it.
Jon Jansen • 03:09
Absolutely. So it's. When's football supposed to be played? We had a little bit of a teaser. If you're in the central time zone. We had the eleven o' clock game against Minnesota. Obviously it was a bit of a long day, but it was nice to have those eleven o' clock starts in Indiana. Yes. Big Noon will be there as well as Michigan football to take on the Hoosiers. A lot of questions surrounding the Hoosiers these days.
Brian Boesch • 03:32
Yes. And Michigan. So let's start to answer some of those questions coming out of the bye week as we get into our seven.
Jon Jansen • 03:38
I'm trying to deflect Brian.
Brian Boesch • 03:40
I know. And you did a great job. Your effort level, your path level was great.
Jon Jansen • 03:46
The execution, the ultimate result, not so much.
Brian Boesch • 03:49
Ultimately, we can only do what we can do. But we're here and it's a new opportunity for Michigan. And while, yes, this has been a struggle, opportunities ahead. Michigan has a lot of good opponents on the horizon. So let's talk about it with our seven from seventy seven, starting with the quarterback spot right away. Kyle Whittingham was asked about it at his press conference on Monday. He talked about it with you on that Monday night radio show. You can hear the archive on our audio feed. MGO Blue podcasts. But Bryce is, according to Coach Whittingham, quote our guy. Some have clamored for a change. Tommy Carr got a good amount of work with the twos, according to coach, during that bye week as it as did most twos. Your thoughts on the handling of the situation, the quarterback spot as a whole as we get into. I know this is the midway point, game six on Saturday, but the bye week does feel like a delineation.
Brian Boesch • 04:37
First half to second half.
Jon Jansen • 04:38
Yeah. And I mean there's got to be, have to be huge improvements offensively, whether it's Bryce, it's the offensive line. I mean like there's a lot to that. We could dive into. But since we're talking about the quarterback right now, we thought in that Iowa game that was his best performance and, you know, saved the turnover that, you know, it took points off the board, gave Iowa the ball inside our own red zone. And, you know, you don't come away with any points, you ultimately lose the game. And Coach Whittingham keeps talking about the turnover margin and the turnover battle. Again, two turnovers against Minnesota on the road and it's. If you're going on the road and Michigan did for the first time against Minnesota, it's not where you look to fix penalties or turnovers. And, and it just, it again, those are some of the things that cost Michigan that game more.
Jon Jansen • 05:27
So the turnovers and the penalties and Andrew Marsh had to drop punt, but the turnover, you've got to get better play, more consistent play out of your quarterback. And then you get into this chicken or the egg discussion, right? And it's, does the running game set up the pass? Does the past set up the run? They both have to be legitimate threats to, to have a, a stable offense. And right now Michigan from the, from the quarterback position is not getting the consistent play that it needs. It doesn't mean moving to Tommy Carr fixes all that ails that. If you have a struggling offense, the most popular guy amongst the fan base is always going to be the number two quarterback. Tommy Carr is still a freshman. And in talking to Coach Whittingham, talking to the assistant coaches, they believe and coach gave me a very precise answer when I asked, you know, if you're going to make a decision, what type, what do you weigh in that decision?
Jon Jansen • 06:22
He said, it's a simple question. I, I asked myself who gives us the best chance to win? And right now they still believe that it is Bryce Underwood. So that's who they're going with. Have no issue with how he's handling this situation. It's more, and nobody really cares how he handles it publicly. Certainly we're going to be discussing it and you know, is, is there a better way to go about it? There may be. There also may not be. And, and when you're talking, it's more about how are you communicating what you're doing to Bryce, to Tommy, to that entire quarterback room, and ultimately to the offense. Because the players on the team, their allegiance is to winning. It's not to any individual guy, it is simply to winning. And I think the, the, the one thing that has to be what is continuing to separate them is the fact that the run game has struggled.
Jon Jansen • 07:12
The best rushing attack that they have right now or most reliable is with Bryce running the football. So I think that's probably what is still leaning in Bryce's favor.
Brian Boesch • 07:25
Gonna be interesting to follow. Obviously the starting quarterback is always a topic at any big program and certainly at a place like Michigan. Gotta be better. Whole offense has to be better. So let's talk about that number two on our seven from seventy seven. Adjustment wise, it's a two way street. What adjustments can Bryce make? What adjustments do you hope take place around Bryce? How can this all coalesce better starting this weekend?
Jon Jansen • 07:48
Well, the, the, the easiest way to make Bryce's life easier is to run the damn ball and to be effective in the rushing attack. With running backs, you don't want to rely on your quarterback. And ultimately when it comes down to it, I one hundred percent believe that you've got to be able to run the football that will help Bryce. But for Bryce, it's really about being patient in the pocket. Until the fourth quarter, that Minnesota game protection hadn't been the issue of this offensive line. So protection has been there and they've done a nice job of moving Bryce around in the pocket. You hear from Jason Beck and, and Coach Whittingham, they like Bryce being able to throw on the run. It's one of the things that he does well. I would look to for them to continue doing that. And it's not full, you know, nakeds or bootlegs, but it's just simply, hey, he takes the snap under center or in the shotgun and there's a little bit, he, he relocates the launch point of that of the quarterback by getting outside the tackle or even setting up behind the tackle.
Jon Jansen • 08:46
And those are things that they can do to keep him on the move, keep him in a rhythm of the game. And one of the things that had been working for this offense is early on getting him some easy looks, some easy outs, the quick passing game. And whether it's a wide receiver screen to Andrew Mar or just a quick throw out to JJ Buchanan, let those guys go pick up some yards, make some plays, then see that against Minnesota. And I think they got away from what Bryce does extremely well and that is that quick passing game. And then like the Iowa game, you could start hitting some of those slants down the field, you could start taking some shots to Andrew Marsh, JJ down the field. But you've got to get him some confidence early. And I know that there was one that was, you know, hit Andrew in the middle of the three, he Dropped it in that Minnesota game. That doesn't do any favors for Bryce.
Jon Jansen • 09:38
So it's that quick passing game. But ultimately you've got to get the rushing attack going.
Brian Boesch • 09:45
We'll. We'll go more comments a little bit later on as per usual here on the show. Normally get to it about a half an hour in. But. But Doug all caps the run, sets up the pass at Michigan. Let's stop the Sugar honey iced tea. I didn't know what those last four words meant. I've figured it out. Just read the first four, first letter of each of those four words. That's a clever way to do it and a way to get on on the show. So thanks, Doug. Yeah, I didn't know that I had to Google it. Hopefully my company doesn't flag that. All right, Number three out of seven from seventy seven. The worst part of the Kyle Whittingham availability on Monday was the discussion around Andrew Sprague's availability. His situation. It seems like at the very least he'll be out for the near future. We'll see beyond that. So without Sprague, how to you John, has this offensive line adjusted and what is the range of outcomes here for a group that if it stands as is, assuming Sprague is not back for a while, if at all, how does this group coalesce with some of the inconsistencies it's had?
Brian Boesch • 10:45
Because that ties to the sugar honey iced tea. You got to run the ball.
Jon Jansen • 10:49
Yeah. It's a matter of doing what this offensive line does.
Jon Jansen • 10:54
Last year it's a downhill. It's a downhill rushing attack. It's what they have been able to do the last couple of years. And this is a team that last year, even last two years, have we had good quarterback play? No, but what they have been able to do is run the damn ball and they this offensive line should be settling in. Evan Link started a number of games at left tackle last year. Blake Frazier started a number of games at the tackle position. And those guys should be very comfortable doing what they're doing. Nathan Efobi Kind of the same thing. Right. He started a bunch of games at guard. Brady Norton, guard. Jake is the only guy that's really playing a different position. And I thought last year he was the best offensive lineman and clearly this year he is, in my opinion, not even close. He's playing at a high level. He is playing really good at the center position.
Jon Jansen • 11:47
He's got to bring all those other guys along with him. And if when you listen to Jason Beck you listen to Coach Whittingham. It sounds to me like they are going to get back to the downhill rushing attack. It's going to be between the tackles. It's going to be a lot of double teams. And that's where this offensive line, if that's what the coaches are going to call because they believe that's what you do best, you better damn well come through for this. Because the Penn State team, and we'll talk about them here more in a little bit, they are what, second to last in rushing defense. You have to be able to run the ball on the pen. It is what they, what they've given up. They gave up nearly four hundred yards on the ground to Northwestern. I'll repeat that. Northwestern ran the ball for almost, for over four hundred yards on this Penn State defense. So you, you better be licking your chops and chopping your licks and, and get that ball between the tackles and running downhill, chopping your licks.
Brian Boesch • 12:47
I haven't heard that one before. I like that. Oh, yeah, we're, we're, we're trying to make this PG rated as best as.
Jon Jansen • 12:53
Doing my best. I know my best. If I stutter, that's Matt. That's my internal filter machine.
Brian Boesch • 13:00
Yes. Seven, seven second delay. All right, number four on our seven from seventy seven. Let's talk about the bye week approach. Michigan used it as you would see in a lot of places, get some of the two some work last week. Kyle Whittingham also noted on Monday night that he does not do any different game week setup, even if it's coming off the buy. So Monday was still kind of an easing in Tuesday as we stream this live. That's kind of the big day in practice and then you taper off a little bit as the game gets closer. And he also noted that several players may not have been able to play this past Saturday had Michigan had a game on the tenth. So just your thoughts on how the bye week went, how it's been handled, and if this can be the reset that this program desperately needs?
Jon Jansen • 13:45
Well, it has to be. It cannot be sure, but it has to be a reset. I mean, you're, you're looking at a Penn State team that's lost three in a row. They just lost a whiteout game at home to USC. This is the time to absolutely attack. You've got to have that killer instinct. And I, I like what Kyle Whittingham has done. Like we're all creatures of habit and college football players maybe more so than any other. That's why in the ninety seven season I keep talking about the fact we didn't have a bye week. There was a routine every Monday, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all the way through game week. And then you just rinsed and repeated and I love that you throw a bye week in and yeah, it does put a wrench in there. But you've got to get back to the regular schedule, the regular course of business. When you start preparing for Penn State Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and today needs to be one of the most physical practices of the year.
Jon Jansen • 14:36
You had a couple of practices last week and it's you got to get back into the rhythm, you got to get back into the routine and you've got to set a tone of what you expect that game to be like in the big house. And it needs to be physical, it needs to be violent and you've got to play that way starting on Tuesday.
Brian Boesch • 14:56
All right, number five on our seven from seventy seven Thursday afternoon on the audio feed M Go Blue podcast, John's keys of the game Offense, defense, special teams, his locker room speech. So we'll delve deeper into the Nittany Lions on that episode Thursday. But initial thoughts on a team that's in a similar spot in a losing streak under a first year head coach that like Kyle Whittingham, a lot of people like the hire. What Matt Campbell did at Iowa State, I mean based on where that program has been, there might be a statue of Matt Campbell one day there. He was that good. But obviously it hasn't started quite as well at Penn State. Initial thoughts on Penn State so I,
Jon Jansen • 15:33
I, I've talked a little bit about what I believe Michigan needs to do and when you look at their defense, I'll start there. Number nine scoring defense, number nine defense in the Big Ten. But there's a giant discrepancy as how they've got to those, you know, middling numbers. They're right in the middle there. Of the eighteen team conference, their number two passing defense, number one defense just happens to be Michigan. In terms of passing defense. They're number seventeen in rushing defense. And it's every single week they give up big place, explosive plays. Consistently teams have been able to run on Penn State. Michigan has to do that. The numbers bear it out. That's what they're weak at. Michigan has to find that rhythm in the rushing attack. And then when you look at their offense, their quarterback, Rocco Beck came over with Matt Campbell from Iowa State.
Jon Jansen • 16:23
Right now he's got eleven touchdowns, three interceptions. Five of those touchdowns have been to tight ends and you're not looking at tight ends that are going to run the, you know, catch the ball and run for eighty yards, twenty three yards, I think is the long reception for a tight end. So what does that mean? It means they're very good at converting on third down and it means they're really good in the red zone. You've got to identify where both of the tight ends are. Sometimes they'll even go thirteen personnel, put an extra tight in there. You've got to identify those guys. Anytime you're in a third down situation and it's, it doesn't have to be third and five, it could be third and seven, third and eight. Rocco Becht is looking to convert by getting the ball to his tight ends and then when they get in the red zone, that's his number one target.
Jon Jansen • 17:04
Yeah, there's six other touchdowns that have been thrown. Some of those big plays. But when you get in the red zone, he is trying to get the ball to his tight ends because that's where he's comfortable and that's where the success has been. But I'll go back to this is a defense for Penn State that will give up big plays in the rushing game and big plays throughout the course of all four quarters.
Jon Jansen • 17:25
You've got to run the ball against Penn State.
Brian Boesch • 17:28
Yep, I think we'll hear that a few times. Coming up on Thursday's episode. All right, coming up next, Big Ten Top twenty five topics. We'll take comments, questions, delve a little bit deeper into the week ahead for Michigan. On the YouTube side, audio side, we've got a great conversation with running back Savion Hyder coming up. But before we do all of that, we've got some advice for you. If you're coming to town this weekend for the three thirty kick against Penn State or next week for the high noon clash with Indiana John.
Jon Jansen • 17:56
Yeah, stick around after the game because there's more to explore in Ann Arbor and if, if you visit your favorite places, that's then see what's new, hit up the downtown social district and for award winning restaurants, take a stroll through campus and turn up the energy with live music. There's a lot to do outside of Ann Arbor as well, like you can go hiking the B 2 B trail and golfing on some incredible courses. That's because the Ann Arbor area is seven communities full of year round fun and plenty of fellow fans rooting for the Maize and Blue. Now that's a winning lineup. Start planning your trip and you can do it Online at ann arbor dot org.
Brian Boesch • 18:35
All right, Number six on our seven from seventy seven Big Ten conversations. Both Ohio State and Indiana win in advance of their huge matchup coming up this week in Bloomington. Ohio State cruises by Maryland forty five sixteen. It was a whale of a ball game. Indiana edging Nebraska twenty seventeen. I thought the Huskers might pull it off at multiple junctures of the game. Not a whole lot to talk about last week unless you want to get to that Nebraska, Indiana game. I want to know how you size up this matchup. Ohio State going to Indiana.
Jon Jansen • 19:08
I think there's just too much offense that Ohio State has. Jeremiah Smith. I don't see really any way that Indiana slows him down. You know, and the connection between Julian Saying and Jeremiah Smith is right now really special, really unique. You've got the best player in college football in Jeremiah Smith and I don't even think it's close, but I do, I do want to touch on that. Indiana, Nebraska team or game. And Indiana, they, they. I don't want to say they struggled against Northwestern, but Northwestern had them on the ropes. Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. They were down two scores in the fourth quarter. And Brian, I don't know if you saw. I'm sure you watched the game, but in this, in the fourth quarter, there were ten possessions and I. You might watch all of college football all year long and not find a quarter where there's been ten total possessions that was electric.
Jon Jansen • 20:00
And Nebraska did so many things after they scored their final touchdown to lose that game. And you know, defense came up big. They just, they couldn't continue to defend the short field. So. And Indiana does have big time playmakers on offense. They got a couple of receivers that they could throw the ball to. I just think the speed of Ohio State, the defense. But more importantly, it's just Jeremiah Smith. I don't know that there's anybody on the field that Indiana has that can slow him down or stop him.
Brian Boesch • 20:26
Yeah. There was what a fourth and nine Nebraska went for without territory. Yeah. And with the way their defense had played, just seemed. I don't. They've been guaranteed that they would have been able to score had they gotten the stop that they got. But field position, I think still would have taken precedent there. That was just the one. I was kind of like, wait, fourth, fourth and nine.
Jon Jansen • 20:47
Yes, I know.
Brian Boesch • 20:48
Okay.
Jon Jansen • 20:49
Bizarre.
Brian Boesch • 20:50
Big news elsewhere in the Big Ten. A little far from Ann Arbor. UCLA getting to five zero. They win at Oregon seventeen to fifteen to get to five zero. But their quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, is out for the season. He was one of and UCLA was one of these stories in college football. You and I were talking off air during the Monday radio show about UCLA's schedule and the similarities with Bob Chesney and, and Kurt Signetti. People make the, the coaching journey comparison, but also the year one schedule comparison. It really changes things for a UCLA team that, gosh, I, I think if, if Iamaleava was healthy, they'd probably be a favorite to make the playoff at this point.
Jon Jansen • 21:38
You would think they would. And their schedule is very similar to what Indiana was the first year of Kurt Signetti. And I mean I, whoever is doing the hiring at, at James Madison, like, I'm surprised that their AD has not been sought after for other positions because he, Nettie loses him to Indiana, brings in Bob Chesney, loses them to UCLA and both of those guys have gone on to, you know, year one success at their respective schools. And Bob Chesney, one of the things that Kurt Signetti did and Bob Chesney is doing the same thing is he's endearing himself to his players, his fan base. He is one hundred percent energizing everything around the program. Those players believe that they go into Eugene and Autzen Stadium and they're going to get a win. And even though they've lost their quarterback, I guarantee you those players still believe that they're going to win every single game that they're in.
Jon Jansen • 22:35
And that's part of what you got to do as a new head coach and you know, tip of the cap to both of those guys. And I really am entertained by what Bob Chesney is doing. UCLA has a more storied program than Indiana has, but it's been what, thirty years maybe since Troy Aikman was the quarterback at UCLA, since they've been a factor in college football.
Brian Boesch • 22:56
Yeah. Jeff Bourne, JMU's AD for Cignetty and Chesney. Nicole, Nicole Auerbach, our good friend, Michigan alum, she wrote a story about that worth checking out at nbcsports dot com there will be a lot of people in, in decision making circles who will learn more about that. We talked about Penn State a little bit. The USC win in the whiteout. Impressive. Obviously had plenty of offensive success, but you always wonder about a west coast team coming out here. We've experienced the white out, just how unique it is. That is a different environment than almost any in college football. USC hanging around and their only loss is to Oregon.
Jon Jansen • 23:38
And I mean usc. I think their quarterback, Jayden Maiava, we obviously saw him Last year, this year, he is.
Jon Jansen • 23:47
I mean, he's slinging the ball around. They obviously have that loss to Oregon, but I think he's. I don't think he'll win the Heisman. He's going to be in the Heisman conversation because of what he is able to do there. And if they can get the defense playing at the same level as the offense is playing at. We saw it be productive against Penn State, but what does that mean? Well, they're going to be tested more throughout the course of the year, but I think that they, they have set themselves up offensively to have a big season this weekend.
Brian Boesch • 24:18
As expected. Purdue two and one in the league, hosting. Oh, and three Washington, as we all thought.
Jon Jansen • 24:24
Yeah. Purdue took Minnesota the woodshed.
Brian Boesch • 24:28
I mean, and Iowa did the same with Washington last Friday night.
Jon Jansen • 24:33
Yeah.
Brian Boesch • 24:34
Interesting ones out west. And I saw this line before the injury to Emaliava the quarterback, but UCLA was just minus three. I have to check what it is now. UCLA hosting four and one. Wisconsin. Door could be open for a Badgers team that has a fairly reasonable schedule, all things considered. Late night Nebraska at Oregon, also Northwestern at Michigan State. And I'll give you the floor for, if you'd like, as much time as you want for Rutgers at Maryland preview.
Jon Jansen • 25:03
Well, I appreciate the opportunity.
Brian Boesch • 25:05
You're welcome.
Jon Jansen • 25:06
But for. Honestly, for Maryland, they've got to get their young quarterback, Malik Washington going. Much better year. Last year they used it more as a runner and he was slinging the ball around. They've got to find a way to make that offense be explosive. That's what Malik Washington could do. He's got a big arm. He's a big kid. He's got the ability to get downfield. They just haven't been able to, to, to. To find those receivers downfield.
Brian Boesch • 25:34
No doubt. All right, number seven on our seven from seventy seven. Let's talk about top twenty five. You and I were discussing transitive property yesterday. Oklahoma. Stunning. Number one, Texas twenty seven. Twenty four. I. I looked at that game and I, I thought the same thing. I thought about Florida Ole Miss. It's weird how low the line is. Or in that Florida Ole Miss game, it's weird. Florida is favored. When a line looks strange, I tend to take note. I did not think Oklahoma would win that game, but they did. And to me, unquestionably, the bigger story is Texas. I don't. It's pretty remarkable they beat Ohio State because, I mean, outside of that fourth quarter, Texas has been pretty uninspiring this year.
Jon Jansen • 26:18
Yeah. And I mean, Texas is offense and I'm, I think I distinctly remember saying this. If Georgia and Texas played, I don't think Texas would score.
Brian Boesch • 26:31
And, and I pushed back and I would like to rescind my full pushback. I still think they would score, but I'm not confident.
Jon Jansen • 26:38
Yeah, I mean it's, it's that offense and everybody's all over Arch Manning and in the biggest moments, he's come up small. He's also had some big wins there. He's only a junior. It doesn't mean he has to come out. I know everybody's thinking about him and talking about him as his name, making him the number one quarterback in the draft. I don't think that's going to happen and I'm not even sold on the fact that I think he comes out this year. There is a lot of football acumen in that family and I think there's going to be some advice, some very well heated and good advice on what's best for his future. But I do want to go back to the transitive properties because if, if, if. And as college football fans, I think this is kind of where it plays the most because we have the college football playoffs. The, that first ranking won't come out until November third, so we're getting close.
Jon Jansen • 27:30
But could we say that Purdue would beat Ohio State because Purdue beat Minnesota, Minnesota beat Michigan, Michigan beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma beat Texas, Texas beat Ohio State. Therefore Purdue is greater than Ohio State, Right?
Brian Boesch • 27:50
That is correct.
Jon Jansen • 27:51
And if we're doing that same math, that means Michigan greater than Ohio State.
Brian Boesch • 27:55
Yes, correct. I was looking so that also now Wake Forest has had a great year, but that also means Wake Forest would beat Purdue. That was an overtime game. That boy, that looms a little larger than we would have expected in week two wakes. One of the the best quiet stories in college football. But yeah, credit Purdue, man. They, they're playing well and we've talked.
Jon Jansen • 28:18
I'm not sure that math actually maths. But you're not sure you're on the take. Whatever I can get right now.
Brian Boesch • 28:25
I, I quickly googled and I saw last year Rutgers beat Purdue and I almost said oh well, maybe Rutger. Well that was last year. Property does not carry over season to season.
Jon Jansen • 28:34
No, no, yeah.
Brian Boesch • 28:36
I, I don't think it works but it's the reality of the situation in before the eighteen team league we talked about, especially the west. If you have a chance, you've got to take advantage and get to Indy. Just to say you did. Purdue did it. Illinois had A chance didn't do it obviously. Iowa did several times. Minnesota had the one year where they hosted game day where they were playing Wisconsin for a chance to go to Indy and lost. You got to take advantage the now you need to take advantage of favorable schedules and win a couple that you're not supposed to. And Purdue early is doing that. I don't think we'll be talking Purdue football in in November, but this is how you start to build something that and the other thing I'll say too, John, it's tough to sustain. Do I think Brett Bielem was a worse coach now versus when he was making Illinois a consistent ranked team over a few of the last seasons?
Brian Boesch • 29:25
No, it's just there's a cyclical nature to this that is becoming more and more reality in college football.
Jon Jansen • 29:30
Well, and you've got to be able to hit on a quarterback in the transfer portal that that is maybe it's the most publicized position, rightfully so.
Brian Boesch • 29:37
Right.
Jon Jansen • 29:38
It's quarterbacks that makes the team, you know, good or bad offensively. But it you've got to find he had a quarterback for, what was it, three years that he actually got through the transfer portal. Now he's got one through the transfer portal and it just hasn't translated into wins for him this year. How about Michigan State? I think this is this week with Aiden Chiles is going to be the third transfer quarterback that was in East Lansing that they're actually going to face
Brian Boesch • 30:07
twenty twenty six college football. How about it? Georgia and Alabama Bulldogs narrow somewh controversial win over the Crimson Tide. We talked about the fact that, you know, the winner of that game would would probably be the odds on favor to win the national championship at this point. After what you saw, do you think Georgia right now would be the team you would peg to win it all?
Jon Jansen • 30:29
I do. And I think it's. It's mainly because they make the fewest mistakes, they play the best defense, they make the fewest mistakes and it's not just, hey, getting after the quarterback or stopping the run or the pass. Like they play really good team defense. They've got speed over there. But their quarterback, they just don't ask him to go out there. They don't ask him at all to go out there and win games. They just say don't go out there and lose us the game. We're going to hand the ball off. We're going to rely on our big offensive line physical athletes. But when there's plays to be made, he just makes plays and it's very quiet. It's unassuming. He just doesn't make a lot of mistakes and put this team behind the sticks or in bad position by turning the ball over.
Brian Boesch • 31:16
Patrick saying two best teams, Georgia and Alabama. I don't know if I can quite get there with Bama, but they're, they're better than I thought they were going to be. We talked about it in September. This is an Alabama team that says at least less discussed as any I can remember in recent years and they're playing well.
Jon Jansen • 31:33
Same thing with Georgia. There's, I mean, they're the number one team in the country right now and there's just not a lot of people talking about how good Georgia is.
Brian Boesch • 31:38
Yeah. Some other upsets. Kentucky knocking off LSU despite Lane Kiffin's yoga session that morning. South Carolina Carolina blasted Florida thirty eight to nineteen three ranked on ranked matchups coming up this weekend in the sec. Mississippi State at LSU. Bama. Tennessee, Missouri at Ole Miss. I'm curious how all those rankings will play out once the playoff comes out, because inevitably there's going to be some friendly fire in the league, right? I mean, that's how this goes. Obviously. A lot more numbers by SEC teams than any other conference. We shall see the the Notre Dame at BYU game. You want to talk about an awesome environment? Coming up Saturday night out West Irish. They've rolled BYU a few close calls. Thoughts on any of that coming up this weekend. This is a, this is a juicy weekend in college football.
Jon Jansen • 32:29
It is. And I, I'm, I'm most looking forward to that Notre Dame, BYU game. I just, I want to see which team is most for real and maybe they both are. I, I, it's hard to tell in the Big twelve, and it's hard to tell with Notre Dame being an and looking at their schedule. This is, it's a huge test and it's, it's one where I'm, I'm, I'm certainly not a Notre Dame fan. I'm a CJ Carr fan and I think CJ has played extremely well. But looking down the road, I want to see an undefeated Notre Dame team play an undefeated Miami team. And I think that is, that's where it's at. So I'm not necessarily rooting for Notre Dame, but I, that's what I want to see in a few weeks.
Brian Boesch • 33:16
Do not sell Notre Dame schedule short. You know who they beat forty nine to ten, right?
Jon Jansen • 33:21
Michigan State.
Brian Boesch • 33:22
Purdue.
Jon Jansen • 33:23
Oh, so yeah, let's put, let's add another one onto the beginning of that one. Let's See how. Let's see.
Brian Boesch • 33:29
That one's not as fun, though, right?
Jon Jansen • 33:31
Notre Dame beats Purdue, Purdue beats Minnesota, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas, Ohio State. There we go.
Brian Boesch • 33:38
Yep. Yep. That one's not as fun, right? You don't, you don't want to have a, you know, a top five team and a top five team on each side. You want to have, you know, the, what, some FCS school or something. It's great.
Brian Boesch • 33:50
Anywho. All right, let's get into our transitions now. On the audio side, great conversation with true freshman Savion Hiter.
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Jon Jansen • 34:05
Joined now by Savion Hiter, freshman running back. And there's been a lot of adjectives
Jon Jansen • 34:11
used to describe Save you on Hiter
Jon Jansen • 34:13
coming to Ann Arbor. First of all, welcome to the podcast.
Jon Jansen • 34:17
Thanks for joining me.
Jon Jansen • 34:18
And second, what's this first five weeks?
Jon Jansen • 34:21
I know it's only five weeks of the season. You've been here longer than that. But what's it been like for you?
Savion Hiter • 34:25
It's been very eventful, I can say that. And I mean, I feel like as a team, we've been getting better each week and we're going to continue to do that. And me, myself, I've set some different goals for the rest of the season, and I've been trying to complete those.
Jon Jansen • 34:41
What are, I don't know if you
Jon Jansen • 34:42
want to share those with us. How, in the middle of the season, how do you reevaluate and then reassess your goals,
Savion Hiter • 34:51
really? I've been trying to become a, like, better leader to do that and finish my job and do it correctly at that. And yeah, you were put into a
Jon Jansen • 35:04
room with Jordan Marshall, who's now a captain and a guy that I think a lot of young players look up to. How has he been able to help you in this process of, you know, now becoming a college football player?
Savion Hiter • 35:15
He's been kind of helping me become that leader and becoming a more vocal leader to help the team out. And I've been learning a lot from him each day, and he kind of just helped me throughout if I do something wrong or if I need help on anything.
Jon Jansen • 35:32
A lot of expectations for you because of a lot of the recruiting rankings, a lot of the highlight films that you had, and I'll talk about some of those high school numbers in a moment. But how have you handled the pressure of all the eyeball, all the eyeballs on you and so many expectations as a freshman?
Savion Hiter • 35:48
I really try not to pay attention much to it. I mean, it's going to be media, at the end of the day, I mean, either they hate you or they love you, but I try to stay away from all that stuff, keep to myself and my circle.
Jon Jansen • 36:02
So, sixty two touchdowns in high school,
Jon Jansen • 36:04
and if I, if my numbers are
Jon Jansen • 36:05
correct, you had just over one hundred carries your senior year and you scored twenty five touchdowns. So one out of every four times you ended up in the end zone.
Jon Jansen • 36:14
A lot of, again, a lot of
Jon Jansen • 36:16
those hype videos coming out of high school. How have you been able to adjust from being the guy in high school and all of those accolades, all of those successes to sharing carries in the backfield and not being on the field as much as you were in high school?
Savion Hiter • 36:33
I feel like it's all a part of the process, really, from learning from Jordan Marshall and learning from Tony Alford and really just taking it all in and honing in on the details and at least getting it right my freshman year. And then when I, when I graduate from here, I would have all those details combined, and I don't know where I would be from there.
Jon Jansen • 36:57
What's the relationship like with you and Coach Alford? Because when you're being recruited and I had a chance to talk to him over the last couple of years, like, he talks about the building that relationship with you and with your parents. How important was that relationship in the recruiting process and now your transformation from high school to college?
Savion Hiter • 37:17
I mean, we've always been connected since about twenty twenty three, I would say, or twenty twenty four, but we've kind of kept. Kept that connection between my parents and ta, and we've always, like, got together, like, good. And. Yeah.
Jon Jansen • 37:35
Yeah, I mean, what's been the biggest challenge on the field, the biggest difference between high school and. And college football? Really?
Savion Hiter • 37:43
Just the competition. I mean, football is going to be football. I mean, if I got to run through somebody, I do.
Jon Jansen • 37:50
And then, yeah, when we had Coach
Jon Jansen • 37:53
Alford on a couple of weeks ago on the radio show, he mentioned the
Jon Jansen • 37:57
fact that you are one of those
Jon Jansen • 37:58
guys that accelerates into contact. Is that something that you focus on or is that just something you do as a player?
Savion Hiter • 38:05
I feel like that's one of my strong suits, and that's what I strive to do as a player. I mean, I feel like it's a norm for running back at Michigan at that. And.
Jon Jansen • 38:14
Yeah, it's not normal, though. When you see contact coming, there's a
Jon Jansen • 38:18
lot of people that will slow down or they'll go the other way. What it is, is it in your
Jon Jansen • 38:22
mind that says, I'm going to Speed things up and make this as violent as possible.
Savion Hiter • 38:26
I mean, it's always worked for, for my whole life, so I just stuck to it.
Jon Jansen • 38:31
You're also really good at catching the ball and that's something that, you know, you see guys like Jameer Gibbs, Bijon Robinson, some of the best running backs in the NFL are they're dual threat guys. Is that something that you've always focused on is being that, that running back that can catch the ball as well?
Savion Hiter • 38:48
Yeah, I try to be the running back that can do everything on the field. I mean, I'm trying to be a four down back, so I just gotta do everything.
Jon Jansen • 38:55
How much do you practice catching the ball?
Savion Hiter • 38:58
I would say a lot.
Jon Jansen • 38:59
I mean, you spend a lot of
Jon Jansen • 39:00
time with the receivers and the jugs.
Savion Hiter • 39:02
Yeah, I do. All right.
Jon Jansen • 39:03
Who's got the best hands on the team? You can say it yourself.
Savion Hiter • 39:07
I could say Travis Johnson or Salesi Moa.
Jon Jansen • 39:09
Okay. All right.
Jon Jansen • 39:10
You're going with freshman brotherhood.
Savion Hiter • 39:11
Yeah. Yeah.
Jon Jansen • 39:13
What was it like for you to
Jon Jansen • 39:15
see Salesi get that first touchdown?
Savion Hiter • 39:17
It was amazing, like, and seeing Tommy get in for the first time and throw that dot. It was a beautiful ball and it was beautiful catch too.
Jon Jansen • 39:26
Now that you've got Penn State on the horizon, what, what are some of the things that you worked on over the bye week that you want to see yourself and this offense do better at? Going in from Penn State and on,
Savion Hiter • 39:39
Really, you just got to execute every play. I feel like we haven't been finishing a lot and we haven't been honing in on little details, but I feel like we've been really honing in on practicing those details and I feel like we're going to get it done for Penn State.
Jon Jansen • 39:54
You've had a couple of different pieces up front moving around in the offensive line for you. What does it take, what does it mean to be able to be comfortable with how their blocking plays and the communication that you've got to have with them of different ways that you like to see blocks happen?
Savion Hiter • 40:11
I feel like we've been practicing a lot with these players on the field and we've kind of got that communication down throughout the week.
Jon Jansen • 40:20
Well, hey, Savion, I really appreciate your time. Best of luck throughout the course of the rest of the year and we'll look forward to seeing you down the road.
Savion Hiter • 40:27
Yes, sir. Thank you.
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Jon Jansen • 40:35
Well, thanks to Savion for his time. For everything that's going on in and around Michigan football, make sure you keep it locked in here on in the trenches.
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Jeff Laurence • 40:43
Thanks for listening to this edition of in the Trenches with Jon Jansen, presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan Football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest, in the Trenches is part of our Michigan Athletics Podcast network, MGO Blue Podcasts. The preceding is a Learfield presentation of the Michigan Sports.
