With the ball on Penn State’s 19-yard line, Michigan faced 2nd-and-7 with exactly two minutes left in last Saturday’s contest. Seven yards, 21 feet, were all that stood between the ball and the first down marker and Michigan and victory. The coaching staff chose to put said ball in running back Hassan Haskins’ hands and let him do what he does best: get ridiculously tough yards.

Penn State had eight men in the box, but Haskins wasn’t thinking about that or icing the game or preserving his team’s goals. When you only have one goal every carry, then every carry holds the same weight. “Just determined to get them extra yards, that seven yards, whatever it is. I mean, that’s just my mindset throughout the whole game is getting them extra yards anyways, so there’s definitely a focus on that, determination.”

That Haskins picked up the seven necessary yards and allowed Michigan to run out the clock likely comes as a surprise to no one inside Schembechler Hall. Few running backs in the nation are as determined as Haskins, and he has had an opportunity to show that even more frequently of late due to fellow running back Blake Corum’s injury.

Haskins carried the ball 27 times against Indiana, the game in which Corum was injured, and 31 times against Penn State. He rushed for more than 150 yards in each contest, running for 6.2 yards per carry against Indiana and 5.0 yards per carry against Penn State. Haskins also has acquired 175 of his 324 yards after contact the last two games. To say he has handled a heavier workload well is an understatement. “I feel like I get the feel of the game as I get more carries and stuff,” Haskins said. “I feel it and see what I’m working with, so that definitely helps.”

But do the additional carries he has been receiving take their toll physically? Not really, according to Haskins. He said that he had some bruises Sunday morning but that he had already recovered. At some point it would seem that having eight grown men hurtling themselves at you 30 times every Saturday would tire you out, but not Haskins. This week he was asked whether he could handle the workload. “Most definitely. I’m a workhorse. I’m gonna get it done.”

His performances of late have garnered high praise from teammates on both sides of the ball. “He’s just such an amazing athlete. We have a lot of amazing athletes all across the board and he’s one of those guys where it just fuels you to play better and it fuels your energy in the game,” defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said on Tuesday.

Sometimes that energy literally helps lift other players. Tight end Erick All shared the story of a play from the Penn State game he couldn't believe. "I remember one play he got the ball. He'd got the ball a lot of times. I ended up on my back and I see H2 and he's helping me up. I'm like, This man is just an animal."

"I mean, 31 carries is a lot and that's a huge load. It's just incredible that he's just ready to go practice again today, and that's just the dude he is," quarterback Cade McNamara said. "There's a lot of guys on this team that would sacrifice the same amount for this team but what Hassan has done this year is extraordinary for sure."

Even head coach Jim Harbaugh put his praise on record. “I think you can talk about every part of Hassan Haskins' game and refer to it as excellent, outstanding, every single phase."

It seems like every media availability adds a litany of new Haskins compliments. His response? “I try my best. Just keep it going, keep it working.”

Haskins appreciates the compliments, but he doesn't let them get inside his head. That wouldn't mesh with his even-keeled personality and approach to the game. “I really don’t try to put pressure on myself," he said. "I try to take care of things with an ease. Clear my mind out and things like that. I just keep it the same, really.”

Of course none of this happens without long hours, grueling lifts, and a dedication to refining and improving all areas of his craft. Haskins was asked about catching the ball out of the backfield and noted that it has been an area he's worked on frequently. He showed he had the ability to do so in 2019, catching six balls on six targets. This season Haskins has caught 11 passes on 11 targets, including five against Penn State and eight in the last three weeks. “I always could do it, I just always put emphasis on that concept of my game. Most definitely, just catching the ball out of the backfield and doing that aspect of the game definitely helps the team,” Haskins said.

A focus on the team is integral to Haskins' work ethic, and his teammates know it. He doesn't have to say much, instead letting his actions do the talking. “Very soft spoken, very humble guy. Very chill. Not a lot of words. Even though he doesn’t speak a lot he’s one of the brightest energies in the room. He’s really one of those guys,” Jenkins said.

If there is some outside force pushing Haskins, he doesn't see it. To him, success comes from the way he chooses to go about his business in the football building each day of the week, from meetings to walkthroughs to practice to games. Haskins was asked about what makes him successful Wednesday night. “Just my mindset," he said. "I try not to get tackled by one player. I always want them extra yards, them YAC yards, so just keep my legs driving. Just my mindset, determination like I’ve been saying, that’s pretty much it.”

To him, it's simple: his drive is his mindset. That's the force that propels him through tough times, tough carries, tough practices. For Haskins, his greatest weapon isn't his uncanny ability to run through would-be tacklers, it's between his ears. Haskin's response to a question about what fuels his inner drive was telling. “My mindset," he said. "I’m just a person that likes to get things done and I don’t know, I like to win so I try my best to do whatever I can to win.”

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