Why new Houston Cougars running back Makhi Hughes is so hard to bring down. 'He's a badass' 19%
By Joseph Duarte6%
7/22/2026, 4:00:00 AM
Keywords: Houston Cougars, University Of Houston, Tulane, American Athletic Conference, Fbs, Makhi Hughes, Willie Fritz, Reshaun Sanford Ii, Conner Weigman, Rookie Of The Year, Makhi, John Hebert, Dj Butler, Dean Connors, Hughes, Oregon, Sanford, A Different Breed, Sports, Team Sports, American Football, College Sports, College Football, College
BS Summary: This article contains 21 faulty reasoning types, including Hasty Generalization, Halo Effect, and Self-Serving Bias, with Post Hoc (False Cause) as the most egregious example at 9.1% saturation with 65 hits. Analysis detected 502 faulty-reasoning hits from 713 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 33.9% and a BS Rank of 19% (17,770 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 81.20% of the article peer group.
When it comes to his running style, Makhi Hughes has a few words to live by.
“Never let one man take you down,” the University of Houston senior running back said.
That has rarely been an issue in his college career.
Sometimes it takes two, three or more.
During a two-year stretch at Tulane, Hughes was one of the most productive backs in college football with 2,776 yards.
Nearly 72% of his rushing total came after first contact with a defender.
“He delivers punishment before they try and punish him,” UH coach Willie Fritz said.
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It’s fitting that, among the many tattoos on Hughes' left arm, three words stand out: “A Different Breed.”
Hughes, one of the Cougars' top transfer portal pickups this offseason, has earned a reputation for being hard to take down.
A first defender is supposed to slow him down.
Another is supposed to finish the play.
Seldom has it worked out that way as a short gain — and even a few that seemed destined to be losses in the backfield — turn into 5- or 7-yard gain.
“If there’s a hole that’s not there, he’s going to create one,” sophomore running back Re’Shaun Sanford II said.
In his first season in 2023, Hughes ran for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns and was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year as Tulane won the conference title.
A year later, Hughes was even better with 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Both seasons Hughes ranked sixth among FBS backs with 1,982 of his 2,776 yards coming after contact.
His nearly 4 yards after contact was also among the nation’s best.
“It just happens,” Hughes said of his knack for breaking free from would-be tacklers.
“You’ve just got to make one guy miss or have that mindset what you are going to do when that first guy meets you in the hole.”
What makes Hughes so tough to bring down?
Fritz said Hughes runs low to the ground, has good balance and keeps moving after contact.
Another key trait: “He’s a badass,” Fritz said when the Cougars signed Hughes earlier this year.
“He’s tough,” Fritz added of the 6-foot, 210-pound Hughes.
“He’s really hard to bring down.
First guy doesn’t bring him down very often.”
Fritz said another important factor has been Hughes' durability.
In 2023 with Fritz as head coach, Hughes had 257 rushing attempts; he had 263 the following season.
However, there’s been a decrease in recent years — an average of 27 over the past three seasons — of backs to reach the 200-carry mark.
Not surprisingly, one of those backs was at UH, as Fritz favors a balance that includes a heavy dose of running plays.
Dean Connors had 200 rushes for team-high 980 yards last season, becoming just the third UH back in the past 25 years to reach the milestone.
The Cougars enter this season with a backfield that includes Hughes, Sanford, who is coming off a second ACL injury in three seasons, DJ Butler and John Hebert.
“We’re going to find out who the bell cow is,” Fritz said.
“Every place I’ve been we’ve had a bell cow.”
There is extra motivation for Hughes.
Considered the top running back in the transfer portal in 2025, Hughes signed with Oregon but saw limited action and had just 17 rushing attempts.
He played in four games before using his redshirt and entered the portal again this offseason, setting up a reunion with the head coach who signed him in high school.
“I’m still the same back,” Hughes said.
“I can’t wait to have a breakout season.
I really do have something to prove.”
That could make things tough for defenders who already struggle to bring down Hughes.
“I tell our running backs that I want to give the ball to y’all guys and get out of the way and watch y’all go make plays and put up crazy yards for this offense,” quarterback Conner Weigman said.
“Makhi is going to be a workhorse.”
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