ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson doesn't just want to beat divisional foe Michigan State — he and the Wolverines need to this Saturday in East Lansing.
"If you’re a player at Michigan, you have to beat State," Hutchinson said. "It’s a requirement every year. If you don’t, the season’s not quite complete. Obviously, this game is always big on our calendar, and we’re always prioritizing them every single year."
Hutchinson is 2-1 against the Spartans while in Ann Arbor, with the lone setback coming in an empty Michigan Stadium last season, 27-24. Hutchinson said before the season that he frequently rewatched that game during the offseason and that it adds a bit of extra motivation this week, though he's forward focused and isn't dwelling on the past.
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"Last year kind of left a bad taste in your mouth, especially with them," Hutchinson said of the campaign in which the Maize and Blue posted a 2-4 record. "A game that I really thought we should’ve won, but we couldn’t close it out.
"This year, we closed the book on last year, and we’re ready to take them on this year. We’re a whole new team, whole new culture, and we’re just ready to go."
Michigan and Michigan State are ranked sixth and eighth nationally, respectively, and Saturday's matchup will be the first top-10 showdown between the two schools since U-M won such a tilt in 1964.
A midseason All-American who has accumulated six sacks, Hutchinson admitted he was rooting against the Spartans two weeks ago when they nearly lost at Indiana, which holds a 2-5 record, but that it's more exciting to have both teams undefeated.
"It makes the game more important; it makes our game more primetime," Hutchinson said with a smile. "I saw them beat Indiana. Obviously, I was a little bit pissed, but now our game will be a battle of the undefeated.
"It’s going to be a fun one — primetime — so I’m fired up, ready to go."
The team captain was roommates with linebacker Ben VanSumeren before he transferred from Michigan to Michigan State during the offseason. The two have been in contact sparingly since, and Hutchinson made no bones about wanting to beat VanSumeren and Co.
"I hope he’s doing well. … Yeah, I don’t know," Hutchinson said, adding that he wanted to choose his words carefully. "Hopefully on Saturday, we will get the win so he can feel bad that he transferred."
The Wolverines are approaching the upcoming matchup as a big game, with head coach Jim Harbaugh saying his team is adopting a "playoff mindset," but are making sure to stick with their mantra of looking at the opposition as "nameless and faceless."
"It’s important, especially for this game," Hutchinson said of the mentality. "When you get out there, you can feel it. Nobody needs to get nudged to be nastier. Everybody’s gonna know on Saturday it’s going to be a nasty game, and it’s how these rivalry games [go].
"The way that we play these nameless, faceless opponents, no matter who we play, as long as we execute, we’re going to be successful. I think that’s the main point, and it’s so relevant this week, too, because we don’t want guys getting too emotional, getting too caught up in the moment and hurting the team by getting a penalty or something. I think it’s all too relevant for this game."
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