Deion Hankins is back and better than ever after a ferocious outing against Charlotte

EL PASO, Texas -- You might have noticed a real switch in the UTEP Miner offense from the start of the season - the Miners are now running the ball a lot more and it's really laid the platform for their past two wins.

El Pasoan Deion Hankins could very well be one of the reasons they are finding so much success recently.

Hankins led the Miners in rushing in their 2020 season and was expected to have an even bigger 2021. That was until he injured his shoulder in the season opener against New Mexico State.

Hankins proceeded to miss the next two games and wear a brace in the remainder of the games before he got shoulder surgery in the off season.

The Parkland high school grad continued to wear the brace for the first three games of the season - in those games he rushed for just 48 yards. He then took the brace off for their clash with New Mexico and kept it off. In those three games he rushed for 229 yards.

"When I took it off that game [New Mexico] I felt a lot more freedom and just like myself now," Hankins said.

"I think he's back even further than what he has been because he's so much heavier and more physically stronger and bigger and just hard to tackle," Head Coach Dana Dimel said.

Don't believe him, just look at Hankins stats from the Miners win over Charlotte Saturday.

He ran for 112 yards with a large chunk of his yardage coming from a 34 yard ferocious, forceful and straight-up feisty run.

"The line got him 15 and then he got whatever the rest of that run was moving the whole pile I mean I don't know if I've ever seen a running back move a pile like that,' Dimel said. "There was just Deion in the middle of a bunch of people moving forward." 

"I was like as long as I make it past the first level I should be free so as soon as I made it past there I made that cut to the outside and the rest I just tried to keep my legs moving because of all the guys I had to carry," Hankins said.

The Miners head to La Tech Saturday for their seventh game of the season. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. MT.